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- The thing that haunts me most—and drives my wife Betsy crazy—is my anxiety about the closing window of my life. What if I die sooner than expected, leaving so much undone? Do I have 30 years left, or just a month? I’m healthy, but is there an unseen illness? What if I get hit by a car while riding my bike? These things happen, you know.
- I once heard (though I can’t remember where) that our lives are like an hourglass with the top portion blocked so we can’t see it. Sand flows through, but we don’t know how much remains. All we truly know is that it will run out someday, but we can’t see when. I never deeply felt this until I reached my 60s. Now, it haunts me.
- Betsy doesn’t feel this anxiety. She tells me to relax, asking, “What will you do when you’ve completed everything on your bucket list?” I reassure her that each time I check something off, another item is added. There’s still so much to do in this world! But is the answer really to keep doing, seeing, and experiencing more? Yes and no. Some experiences bring joy; others, perhaps less.
- When people ask me what I still want to do, most of my answers are travel-related—not just to see as much of the world as possible but to experience it with OTHERS: Betsy, my kids, friends, old and new. There’s something profound about connecting with others and realizing how small the world truly is. I think I need to explore and write more about that idea.
- Then there’s the reality of my responsibilities and commitments at home: my kids, my mom, my grandkids, friends, my coaching, and the nonprofit work I care about. I love these things, even when they feel overwhelming.
- So, how do I handle this "hourglass anxiety"? I guess it’s about balance—finding peace in not knowing when the sand will run out while choosing to live fully with whatever time remains. So I guess I want to keep pursuing what’s meaningful, savoring what’s joyful, and building a life that reflects gratitude for each moment. But, oh man, this is so much easier said than done.

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https://retirefabulously.com/10-truths-about-retirement/
I read this today. It’s a great list of 10 Truths. However, the one that particularly rocked me was #9 where we’re called to replace the word “someday” with “today.” It’s been so easy for me to develop a daily routine and keep busy, doing good things and even some purposeful meaningful things. That’s all good, however I still find myself thinking “someday I’d like to…” I know that I have a window of life ahead of me that is inevitably closing. I don’t know how long until it will ultimately close. I also know that my “health span” window will close even sooner than my “life span” window and my “somedays” will likely be gone.

Here’s another way of looking at it: It’s like we’re looking at sand going through an hourglass. We know that the sand will eventually run out. However, when it comes to our lives, the top part of the hourglass is blocked off and we can’t see how much sand is left for us. All we see is the bottom half. I truly DON’T want the sand to run our before I do a lot of my “someday” things.

So, it’s time to start doing those “someday” things TODAY!

10 Truths About Retirement Is retirement like I thought it would be? No. Has retirement turned out well anyway? Yes! Here are 10 truths I’ve learned about retirement.

https://www.travelawaits.com/2872779/pieces-of-advice-from-retirees-expert-weighs-in/
Great Advice! I love #3

7 Pieces Of Advice Our Readers Wish They Would Have Received Before Retirement — A Retirement Coach Weighs In We asked the Retirement Awaits Facebook group, "What piece of advice do you wish you would have received before you retired?”