Retirement is not always a bed of roses

So much is put into making our retirement work, it would be naive not to do so. Of course, being in the Silver Bloggers age group we would hope we are clever enough to think of all points, both positive and negative. Every prospective retiree I know puts effort into analysing life style wants and needs

But is any move permanent? Although we try to tick all our boxes at the time the reality is that there is always the possibility of a downside or two. We do not reach the retirement age without realising the unexpected happens. Life is not an ideal bed of roses all the time! Whatever happens we work out whether we stay where we are or decide on a home elsewhere. These decision are very personal.

Last year I wrote about a dear friend who thought she would retire in her large home positioned on the Brisbane River in a rural country area of Brisbane, but found out this was not what she wanted after all. The property was too big for her to keep maintaining on her own. After the passing of her husband several years ago she was single and wanted to be in the midst of the action with theatre, shops, art galleries, museum and coffee shops, etc and shifted into a unit located in a 7 storey unit building in inner Brisbane. She has been very happy living a socially active life never regretting her move.

But, this last week very heavy rain has been falling over Brisbane and unfortunately the Brisbane River is expanding more and more. Here is a photo my friend took on Friday as she sat nearby drinking her coffee realising she was in the midst of an evolving flood.

After 700 millimetre or 27.5 inches of rain over the weekend, there is water everywhere in inner Brisbane. The drains are so full they cannot clear quickly enough. This is the latest photo sent to me, of the grim picture view from my friend's unit who at this stage is out of harm's way of the flooding. Hopefully the water will not rise any higher and people's cars are safe.

My friend's car is still safe in the basement garage and she still has electricity which is more than what other fellow unit dwellers have. She is appreciative that she chose to live in a unit building 100 metres away from the Brisbane River.

Although the flooding might become more challenging for my friend she is not deterred from living in her chosen unit location in Brisbane city near the river. She sees the benefits definitely outweighing the negatives.

There is one thing I have learned as a retiree, we all get to work it out as we travel along the road of retirement.