How many times throughout your life have you heard someone say ‘life is too short’? Like me, the answer is probably ‘a thousand gazillion times’!! Unlike me however, most of you probably haven’t had medical emergencIES f@#k up your awesome plans for early retirement and hubby’s awesome plans for tinkering around the jungle.
So even if you’ve heard it a thousand gazillion times, let this be a thousand gazillion and one. 🙂 The reason Les and I originally decided not to wait until we reached 65 yrs to retire was because from 2004 – 2011 we lost 9 people near and dear to us. I think our final push was losing my favourite auntie, Sue. We had already lost so many in a short time and even more throughout the prior years & since but this loss was particularly hard. After dedicating 40 years (approx) to nursing, she celebrated her Award Ceremony & retirement in April 2011 and was gone June 23, 2011. She learned in April she was Stage 4. I remember thinking ‘that’s what she got? Seriously? After all those years of teaching & taking care of people physically, mentally and emotionally this is her reward?’ What about her plans? What about her happy years?
What about her golden years enjoying grandchildren and anticipating great-grandchildren? What about her?! It was such a cruel slap in the face and was so very difficult to accept. It still is .. but when I learned that Providence Health Care (St. Paul’s & Mount Saint Joseph’s) now have awards in her honour, my heart hurt a little less.
'Sharon Shewella Nursing Education Award'
and
'Sharon Shewella Surgical Program Award'
So that was it. We weren’t waiting. We weren’t waiting to work our entire lives just to die before enjoying the work free years we would have earned.
We had just recently bought the property in Tulum so we began planning the life we would live in the house we would build in paradise we had found. And away we went. I can’t speak for Les but I was terrified. What the hell were we doing?! Were we seriously doing this? Moving to Mexico? Living abroad? Raising our youngest in Mexico? Were we ruining our child? Were we crazee?!
Yes, we were crazee (and still are) and whether things turned out exactly as planned (and those of you who know us know that ‘as planned’ is not even close) or whether things were completely f*#@ed up from the start, it was worth the jump!
In our case, even though nothing was going as planned, we were in the right place at the right time and I am here today because of it. We truly never know what tomorrow will bring so why wait? There is no better time and there will be no better time so embrace your fears and live.
Don’t just take a leap. Chase your dreams and just jump!
