It’s probably a luxury and sign of my privileged status that I’m able to ponder upon what to do in the near future to protect my more distant future. Still, people my age tend to be pondering about many age-related potential occurrences.
Do we work for pay every day until we die? Can we retire and finance our needs ourselves? Will we need help from children or other relatives as we age and decline in health? What’s the best strategy that will give us a comfortable old age?
Heck if I know. I thought we had things set up in one way, but things unexpectedly changed, and we have to pivot. Our neighbor, Sara, who I do my horse stuff with, is escaping Texas to start a regenerative farm business in Wisconsin with members of her family. This is exciting for them!
But that’s meant we’ve had little choice but to sell the vast majority of the ranch, which we owned together. And the very nice people we are selling to also wanted some of the property we owned outright. With times being what they are, Lee wants to liquidate assets, so this is all going to happen.
If you’re wondering why my anxiety is high and I’m sad, well, this is part of it. I won’t own any of the creek or woods any longer. My plans for a consternation [hilarious typo; I meant conservation] easement are no longer possible. We could not afford to buy out the other half of the ranch to do that; we’d hoped to do it later.
The fact that we will soon only have a “ranchette” (not popular with the locals) does give us more options. So we have to ponder them. The agreement we made not to fence in the acres right behind the house means I can’t put in another pasture for the horses. It’s hard to support four horses on what we have.
So, lots to ponder, lots to keep me up at night, and that’s not even bringing in the unknown of the next four years and how it will affect us, right as we would need to start relying on Social Security and Medicare, which we’ve paid into since we were teenagers.
Change is inevitable; we all know that. I can deal with it in small doses with time to prepare. This stuff? I’ll remind myself to put one foot in front of the other and notice the good, the beauty, and the inspiration that occurs every day. Right?
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For what it is worth, I can identify with many of the struggles you’ve mentioned here. I’ve had good horse friends move far away. I’ve had to make difficult life decisions many times over due to a lack of finances. I am familiar with the hurt they cause and am sorry that you are experiencing this.
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Thank you so much.
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This is a LOT to digest – whatever it means. My heart is with you and your love of nature and the land. And your horses! Big {{{{{HUGD}}}} for lack of better words. And a few swears too.
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Yep. That’s not even all of it!
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I’m sorry things have developed this way all of a sudden. I, too, am now much more worried about my senior years and whether I can ever afford to retire. We just keep doing the best we can and trying to build solid community with each other as much as possible. I hope things work out in the best way possible for you.
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Oh dear. The difficult decisions to be made. I am sorry.
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Thank you!
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Uncontrollable events that force change on us, can unveil options we never dreamed were there. When my job of 32 plus years was eliminated in 2023, I retired earlier than I had planned. Despite the challenges this created, I have had moments of joy that would have been unthinkable had I been working. That does not mean it is not hard, but difficulty pushes you forward. You will get through this
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Thanks! It’s certainly my plan to get through it. It’s a little harder than I expected, though.
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I hope you keep the horses and Fiona, and do not give up, because you are right about the beauty everyday and the important things in life like those pups!🤗
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Thanks, Catherine.
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