Second acts are rarely as exciting as the first. Whether it’s the novelty of the storyline, the familiarity of the characters, or just the fact that you’ve already invested so much time and energy into the thing, usually, people just want to know how it ends.
Our second act promises to be as exciting as our first. This will be our second retirement, our second cross country road trip, our second RV, our second attempt at sharing our experiences, and our second effort at making the most of life.
Back before the world changed in 2020, in early 2019, Gary and I decided to quit our jobs, sell our home in Indiana, donate most of our belongings, pack the two dogs up and head out to explore the USA for what would later become our epic 26 states-25 National Parks-11-month adventure.
We wound up living 6 months full time in our 25’ RV and took a break for a few winter months at my sister’s lake house in Virginia. We spent another month and a half back in the RV here in Florida through February of 2020, and when all hell broke loose, we decided to settle into beautiful Naples, Florida. In case you were curious, south Florida is the perfect place to ride out a pandemic!
Well, fast forward five wonderful years and we find ourselves at another crossroads. Gary loved retirement so much, he started two successful small businesses these past few years. And me? I went back to the one thing I loved and was good at – teaching. I found a wonderful Montessori school and have been teaching Middle School ever since.
But the time seemed right for us to pull the plug and hit reset, again.
It isn’t easy to walk away from a life that brings joy and fulfillment, or that pays the bills. But if our past adventures taught us anything, it was to not be complacent, to seek out the path not taken, to look for new challenges and new faces.
Gary and I hope to seek a new balance this year. We’ve decided to divide our time between the open road, south Florida, and as many visits as possible to our sons and adorable granddaughter in Jacksonville. It’s a doable plan, a solid plan, and one that we can’t wait to share.
We don’t know how our story will end, but this second act does indeed promise to take us to new places and revisit some old favorites. We’ll meet new people and learn new things about ourselves.
For two people in their sixties, we feel fortunate to lean into the unknown, again, for however long this second act will run.