| I have a 17-year-old daughter who is finishing up a | | | | way that connects us to our creativity and joy. Think |
| year in Vitoria, Brazil. She's been having the time of | | | | of it as the Brazilian plan. |
| her life in a gorgeous coastal city with the beaches | | | | How do you picture yourself at age 65? 75? 85? |
| of her dreams and the cute guys to match. What's | | | | You've got a decent shot at living to be 100. |
| not to like? | | | | Howard and Marika Stone have been inspiring people |
| Tara told us that we could buy a beautiful home ("All | | | | to reinvent themselves as they get older. On their |
| marble floors!") on a spectacular beach ("White | | | | website, 2Young2Retire.com, they share dozens of |
| sand!") in a number of lovely cities ("Amazing | | | | stories of folks who have done just that. Their |
| architecture!") with friendly neighbors ("Dancing all | | | | intention is to help others "navigate the uncharted |
| night with people who don't know you but love you | | | | waters of longevity" and they do so with great |
| anyway!") | | | | passion and humor. |
| In fact, she helpfully suggested that we could snag | | | | Whether we're 20 or 70, we can use mindfulness to |
| one of these properties for a mere $100,000...less | | | | help us see who we want to be next. The first step? |
| than half of the median price for a typical house in | | | | Pay attention to what we consider to be FUN. Focus |
| our area. | | | | on what we do that feels like we're playing instead |
| She went on to say that we could buy a house on | | | | of working. Notice our "guilty pleasures"--those things |
| the coast in Brazil and retire there, with a delightful | | | | we do when we think we should be working on |
| lifestyle, plenty of great friends, outstanding and | | | | something else. |
| inexpensive medical care, and zero chance of | | | | Here's the good news: You can get paid for having |
| boredom or loneliness. | | | | fun. You can help your community while you're doing |
| We weren't surprised that she suggested this. After | | | | what you can only describe as goofing off. You can |
| all, she has an ulterior motive--why, SHE could be the | | | | learn new skills and demonstrate overlooked talents |
| one to manage the property until we decide to retire! | | | | in a way that helps others while making you laugh. |
| She would, of course, have to live in beautiful, | | | | And it's not too early to start thinking about what |
| coastal, hunk-heavy, dance-crazed Brazil in order to | | | | that might look like. |
| do this, but she was willing to make this supreme | | | | Retire your idea of retirement and embrace the |
| sacrifice to support our perfect retirement. | | | | concept of reinvention. Look at what you're dreaming |
| How thoughtful. No, really. It sounds fantastic. I'm | | | | about doing, and be mindful of how you can start |
| turning 45 in June, and that's not too early to think | | | | "investing" in your opportunities for greater fun. |
| about how I want to spend the next few phases of | | | | That's my personal prescription for the |
| my life. I truly appreciate the suggestion. | | | | not-enough-Social-Security blues. |
| The people I admire most are those who continue to | | | | That, and perhaps finding a lovely house on the |
| reinvent themselves about every decade, and who | | | | coast in Brazil, where I can become fluent in |
| laugh out loud at the notion of retirement. They're on | | | | Portuguese and become a painter, or a novelist, or |
| their fifth or sixth "career" and fully expect to have a | | | | start a school, or build a playground, or design a |
| couple more, just for fun. | | | | community garden, or write songs, or dance til dawn, |
| What we really long for in retirement is time to play, | | | | or be the happiest grandmother alive. Or all of the |
| and what we don't recognize is that we should be | | | | above. |
| playing on a daily basis. We need to live our lives in a | | | | I'll tell my daughter to start looking. |