Retirement is a Season Not a Destination

For years, we saw retirement as the destination. We counted down the days until we no longer had to set an alarm or plan our lives around work, family schedules, and other commitments. We talked about all the things we'd finally have time to do. Travel. Hobbies. Spending more time with family and friends. Sleeping in. The list seemed endless.

It is easy to imagine retirement as the finish line. It is the place we've been working toward for decades. For much of our lives, we have been running the race.

But after retiring, I've come to see it differently.

Retirement isn't a destination.

It's a season.

Like every season of life, it changes over time.

When we first retired, there was a wonderful sense of freedom. There was no schedule to follow unless we wanted one. Mornings were slower. The days stretched out in front of us, full of possibilities. It almost felt like being on a very long vacation. In fact, that's exactly how our retirement began, or at least how we thought it would.

We retired at the end of 2019 and, just a few days later, set off on a two-month trip we had been dreaming about for years. We imagined it would be the perfect way to begin this new chapter of life. Instead, the world changed almost overnight. Borders closed, travel came to a halt, and like everyone else, we found ourselves adapting to a reality none of us could have imagined.

It wasn't the beginning we had planned, but it taught me an important lesson. Retirement wasn't a destination we had reached. It was a season that, like life itself, could change in ways we never expected.

Eventually, the excitement of those first months settled into something different. Life found a new rhythm, and new questions began to surface.

How do I want to spend my days?

What brings me joy now?

What gives me a sense of purpose?

What kind of life do I want to build in this next chapter?

Those questions don't always have immediate answers, and that's okay. Retirement gives us something many people haven't had for years. It gives us the opportunity to discover what we want this season of life to look like, and to do it at our own pace.

I've also realized that retirement has seasons within it. Just as spring gives way to summer, and autumn eventually becomes winter, retirement changes too.

Some seasons are filled with adventure. There are road trips, new destinations, and places you've always wanted to see.

Other seasons are quieter. They might be spent close to home, enjoying a morning walk, trying a new recipe, reading a good book, or simply sitting on the porch with a cup of tea and watching the world go by.

Sometimes retirement brings unexpected responsibilities. We may spend more time helping family members, caring for aging parents, helping with grandchildren, or dealing with our own health challenges. Those seasons may not be what we imagined, but they are still part of the journey.

For me, retirement has become a balance between the extraordinary and the ordinary.

We still love planning trips and exploring new places. Some of my favourite retirement memories have come from standing on a cliff in Newfoundland watching for whales, walking beautiful trails with friends, or discovering a European town we had never visited before.

But I've also learned to appreciate the everyday moments.

A quiet afternoon with a cup of tea and a good show on Netflix.

A visit with friends I haven't seen in a while.

Working on a craft project or learning something new.

Writing here on this blog or sorting through travel photos.

Watching the seasons change from my own backyard.

Those moments may never make it into a travel brochure, but they make up our life. I've come to value them just as much as the adventures.

Maybe that's one of the greatest gifts retirement offers. Not that every day is exciting, but that we have the chance to find joy in ordinary days as well as extraordinary ones.

Looking back, I no longer think of retirement as a destination we reached on the day we stopped working.

It's a season that continues to unfold. I know that, as time goes on, our retirement will look different than it does today. The day will come when we can no longer travel across the world the way we do now. When that season arrives, we'll adjust, just as we have adjusted to every season before it. There will still be beauty to find, adventures to enjoy, and moments worth remembering, even if they happen a little closer to home.

Perhaps that's why I no longer think of retirement as a destination. Destinations are places we arrive. Seasons are meant to be lived. I'm looking forward to discovering where this season takes us next.

I’d love to hear from you. If you're retired, what season are you in right now? And if retirement is still ahead of you, what do you hope this next season of life will look like?