Congrats. Now is the time to enjoy yourself and do or accomplish what is near and dear to you. IF this is what you truly desire.
I did not pick my date. My employer did. I was hanging on for a golden handshake after 25 years with megacorp.
I was a senior regional manager. I decided that I would not go without a package and it happened. I had given out enough packages to understand that eventually my turn would come!
I knew it was coming...to the point where I had identified a highly recommended labor lawyer to negotiate my package.
Even though I knew it was happening a month or two beforehand it was still a bit of a jolt. What smoothed the way is that we had a 'plan' that superseded any job satisfaction that I might derive from work. I was 58/59. I loved my job, worked with great colleagues and customers, and with an employer who treated me well. Lot of travel, lots of pressure every quarter to make the hurdles and deliver the results.
Four months later my friends were telling me I looked so much better. My spouse could not believe that I simply 'walked away' from the business.
Eight months later I had dropped 40 lbs, sold our house, stored the few contents we kept , and DW and I were in the midst of a nine month independent travel trip that took us to Europe, Africa, US, and Central America. Carry on only. After that three months in a downtown furnished rental in the center of town while we decided where we wanted to live and what kind of home we wanted.
If you told me a year prior that this is what we would be doing I would have laughed.
I really think that people who find themselves in this position really need to take note of, and gather their resources, think out of the box, and just do things that they have always wanted to do or what they have dreamed of doing.
It has been 11 years for us. This is really an opportunity waiting to grabbed. Take advantage of it. This is your chance to do or to accomplish whatever it is that you have always wanted to do. A friend of ours has discovered gardening. Flowers and veg. She could not be happier doing his in retirement.
We leave for a month in Morocco in two weeks. After that two weeks in early December on the Mexican Pacific coast, then hopefully winter in Thailand and Malaysia. Not in fancy resorts...just great mom and pop places by the ocean eating inexpensive local foods as the locals do. We can do several winter months in SE Asia for what it would cost for a two weeks in Hawaii or Florida, etc and have a much more enjoyable time.
