Friendship

I’m not sure how you prepare for this, that is, if you haven’t made this a priority in your life up to now, but friendship is certainly something you will want to have when you retire.  That's my opinion. 

I spent the last few hours with the powerful women, a group  of 15 - 20 women who currently or before retirement worked together.  What a group.  We’ve added some younger “girls” – in their 30s and 40s.  I think we range from 30s to 70s, and enjoy each other immensely.  

Navy retired a couple of years ago and she loves it.  Hadn’t seen her for a while and she has decided to go grey.  Wow, it just looks so great!  I wish I could find a picture of the famous model she reminds me of.  

Scottish Lass, who is more like my daughter than just a friend, fears we will grow apart when I retire.  So we are making plans to meet regularly and make sure that doesn't happen.  I wouldn't have let that happen anyway because she is so important in my life.  Who else will go with me to McDonald's  for a McFlurry?   Who else gets so excited about meeting famous people and isn't afraid to admit it?  Who else loves Sheldon as much as I do?  Who has taught me so much?  

But I digress...

The powerful women party together, but also bond together when someone in the group is sick, a spouse or parent is sick, or worse, when someone in our families dies.  Emails will start flying about what we can do to support whoever is involved---bring food, visit in the hospital, give rides for chemo therapy, plant a tree in memory.  We celebrate birthdays and now retirements.  We send each other funny videos and mushy power point presentations of cute animals or beautiful scenery.  But the important thing is that we are there for each other. 

...and I get to keep up with the gossip.

I am fortunate because I have several groups of friends.  I've got the powerful women, but I also have the "girls" - friends I've had for over 30 years.  We all ended up in this area (via North Carolina and Louisiana), and for the past 15 years we've celebrated Christmas together and birthdays, we eat breakfast together on Saturday mornings when we are all in town, we take great trips for our big birthdays.   It is an unlikely group.  None of us is like the other, but we complement each other, I suppose.  

So, add this to my recommendations for retirement.  Make sure you have a support system.  It doesn't need to be this big, but I hope each of you has a friend, a true friend who accepts you as you are, but is comfortable enough to tell you if you need to make a change also.