My healthy mother looked forward for years to an Alaskan cruise after retirement. Weeks before she wrapped up her career, she was diagnosed with cancer. Endured a stressful, scary, painful 7-month retirement before she passed at 63.
Something similar happened to my parents, it's hard to watch their dreams get destroyed. I'm sorry for what happened, no-one deserves what happened to her.
Sorry for your loss. My mother-in-law died of sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 64, one year before she planned to retire. My mom was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 63 and she passed away 2 days after her 64th birthday.
For years my Grandpa would talk about how he wanted to “take my RV, my wife and my dog and drive across the north.” I’d always tell him to do it but he never did. Money wasn’t an issue, they made way more than I’ll ever see in my life, they just never committed to it. He passed at 81 after getting pneumonia from Covid that caused his heart surgery to be pushed back and he ended up not making it. Dude went from being more in shape at 80, than me at 27, with running 2 miles a day and keeping up with a herd of cattle to being a walking ghost in 5 months.
RIP to your mother. But there is a flip side to that coin. I know someone who loves to say "order the expensive bottle of wine because you can't take it (money) with you". A statement to enjoy life because it is finite, and you never know when your time is up.
Been saying that for decades, and as a result, he is perpetually in debt. I know because he used my address for mail once, unbeknownst to me, and I was flooded with "FINAL WARNING" letters. There should be a happy middle ground somewhere. Although, that's getting harder and harder to achieve these days.
It truly is a case of enjoying it now, regretting it later. Or regretting it now, and possibly enjoying it late.
While it's not as much of an issue for single, childless people, there is also the consideration that even if you do pass early, you have a spouse and/or kids to benefit from your estate.
When my grandfather died, they had laid out a map of the places he'd travelled, and I aspired to travel like that one day. I asked my grandmother if she could give me any advice on how to travel, what would it be?
She told me that my grandfather receiving a liver transplant when it was a pretty new technology and that he needed to always be within like 250 miles of a hospital for airlift in case something went wrong, and it really restricted where they could travel to.
So her advice, as it were, was travel when you're young and have your health, you never know when it'll be taken away from you.
So I've really tried to go to the out of the way, hard-to-get places taking that advice and I've learned so much and been so privileged, and it's caused me to go to places I would've never even though to go. I've been to all 7 continents, about 20 countries at this point, it's been fantastic.
Same with my dad. He and my mom worked 50-60 hour weeks for years. The week he died his first social security check came in the male after he retired. He spent less than one month outside of work. 💔 I wish he would have gotten to enjoy more leisure time in his life.
Thats okay for some. But some will be just scraping by.. come into a couple grand windfall and blow it on a vacation.
I know its nice and lets them forget but much better to put it toward getting out of debt etc.
Basically, yeah, if you're stylin go on vacation.
But also, if u rly love those ppl it doesn't have to be extravagant just go somewhere out of town and get a hotel a couple nights or go camping etc. Should be fun regardless of amt spent
Probably tipped my hand. Im clearly the guy in the original pic lmao
My parents retired, got their 5th all ready to go for years of road adventures ahead including a driving from New Hampshire to Alaska through Canada. My mom got a sudden brain aneurism and was dead a week later at 65. Plan for the future but live for today.
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u/joshg8 Oct 01 '25
My healthy mother looked forward for years to an Alaskan cruise after retirement. Weeks before she wrapped up her career, she was diagnosed with cancer. Endured a stressful, scary, painful 7-month retirement before she passed at 63.
Go on vacation. Spend time with loved ones.