^Blog She Was Counting Down to Retirement. Life Had Other Plans.

It Started With a Cough

Our former neighbour was an amazing woman. When our children were young, she would see us playing in the backyard and come outside with little gifts for them. She was single, with no children of her own, and she took such joy in making ours smile.

One day, she excitedly told us she had only 1,000 days left until retirement. She shared the things she wanted to do when she finally had the time. After that, every time we saw her, we got an update. “Only 980 days to go.”

She was counting down to a life she could hardly wait to begin. Then came the cough. We would hear it while sitting on our deck. At first, we thought little of it. But weeks passed, and it continued. Eventually, we asked her about it. She told us she was going to get it checked. It was lung cancer. Nine months later, she was gone.

She never reached retirement. Never got to do the things she had been looking forward to. I think about that countdown a lot. It has inspired me to live a great life now, because I have no way of knowing how long it will be. To make time for the people I love. To pursue the experiences that excite me. To stop assuming there will always be another opportunity.

What Keeps Getting Pushed to Someday?

Most of us have something we keep putting off. A trip with our spouse. More time with our children. Learning something new. Buying that mountain bike. Visiting an old friend. We tell ourselves we will get to it when work slows down, when the business needs us less, or when we retire. Those reasons feel sensible. There is always something demanding our attention. But while we are waiting for the right time, time is passing.

Unfortunately, it often takes a catalyst before we give that much thought. A serious health scare. A near-death experience. The death of someone close to us. Suddenly, the things we were too busy for become the things we wish we had made time for. We cannot always avoid those moments. But we can let someone else’s story move us to act before we experience one ourselves.

Think about something important to you that keeps getting pushed aside. What would it take to make it happen sooner? Book the trip. Call your friend. Take the afternoon off. Start the hobby you keep talking about. Some dreams take time to arrange. Give yours a date, and take the first step toward it.

Our neighbour had every reason to believe her retirement would come. I wish she had been given that time. And whenever I think about her countdown, I ask myself what I am putting off. So, what have you been putting off? If you had just one year to live, what would you want to do, and how could you make room for it in your life now?

Authored by: Jason Nagel, Head of Business Development at Three60 Wealth