I was very fortunate in that I made the decision nearly 30 years ago to work for a hospital that is actually a state owned facility. I was a government employee & thus earned a pension. A lot of my nursing friends left our facility to go work for private hospitals in other places for a bigger salary. But I stayed. I liked my hospital and the people who worked there. It was a different mindset — we were there to take care of the people of NC, not line the pockets of shareholders. It made the work tolerable — knowing I was helping Humans who might not get care someplace else. And then — when I went to retire, I was very pleased to learn The Universe gifted me with a large enough pension that my ends could meet.

But the decisions I made along the way helped as well. I didn’t job hop. I stuck it out at one facility for 26+ years to earn that pension. After my divorce, I have lived well below my means and avoided debt. Whether you can afford to retire or not is an issue that has many layers.

And yes, I enjoy retirement very much. But for once in my life, I’m doing something just for me. I’m enjoying every moment of every day that I have left on this earth — for me.