by Bernadette A. Sahm

What are you waiting for, what are we waiting for, when is the “right” time?

“There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Through the years, my husband and I have had many conversations about our retirement and downsizing to our home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Brian has worked in his line of business for 42 years and I began working at age 13. At first, I was a volunteer candy striper at our local hospital Sacred Heart in Allentown, PA and served as a camp counselor for a Y-based camp and a resident Girl’s Club camp. Then I transitioned in several career jobs before my final position as a Director of Mission Advancement for a nonprofit Catholic Community of Sisters.

We raised three children and lived in our home in Northern Baltimore County, Maryland for over 32 years. A beautiful corner lot with an all-brick rancher, and an inground backyard pool and deck private oasis. It was once a host site for kids and parties and barbecues and more. During Covid-19 is served as the perfect respite and haven for us while we both maintained our full-time jobs.

Then one day in July of 2023 I gave my job the required 2-weeks’ notice that I was leaving. Almost immediately the pain in my knee ceased and my stomach issues went away. I knew it was time when I would return from summer vacation and just not feel as refreshed and ready as I normally would have. I was done. I didn’t want to do the job anymore and it was the “right” time for me to leave it behind me.

Just before my last day on the job, we listed our home for sale and within days it went under contract and soon to settle by the end of the month. It may have seemed like it was happening so fast, but the reality was we had so many discussions about when and what dates would be the best time for us.

When the house contract fell through due to the buyer’s inability to get a mortgage, we initially felt defeated. It was a setback. Going into the fall and winter we decided to take it off the market and to re-group. We spent the next few months freshening up the entire house with new paint and some other minor fixes. We knew that we wanted to sell and to move away. In January we listed again at a higher price and the first day it went under contact again and this time for full-price and no contingencies.

The next few weeks and months we donated many household items and furnishings and by mid-March we settled and were finally able to move into our beach home full time. They say “timing is everything” it was definitely the right time as all the pieces fell together perfectly.

What initially seemed like a setback was just an opportunity to do things better with a better outcome and looking back it all made so much more sense. My husband always believed we would end up at the beach full time. I never gave it much thought about it as I was always under the impression that I would work and keep working. Retirement and being “off” was not something I spent time pondering.

But the funny thing is that we have transitioned into our retirement seamlessly, it was the right thing to do, certainly right for us. We love doing things and we love doing nothing at all. There is power and there in peace in living your life free of anxiety, free of worry and free of many obligations and responsibilities.

My entire life I have never known this kind of contentment, nor have I ever smiled so much! Life is good, we live in gratitude and in grace and peace, what more could we ask for?

#retirement #peace #change #movingon #move #lifechanges

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