Reorganized and Re-evaluated

Unfortunately, I just got another little glitch in my retirement planning.I am getting closer to retiring, but I'm not quite there yet. My landlord seems to want more money for the space he has given me. Geesh! He did that before, too. (a couple of times) I don’t get it. My place doesn't get any bigger; I don't get any upgrades either; hell, I don't even get a new paint job. I have avocado green appliances, (Yes, can you believe those things are still around?) and green shag carpeting on the steps leading up to my apartment.
OK. I guess I just have to factor in a cost-of-living raise in my monthly retirement budget. A cost-of-living raise sounds good, ( in a paycheck, yeah) but I think in this case, it could be a minor set-back. If I up my retirement budget, my payments are bigger. OK, I can live on less, I guess. Or perhaps I will live a shorter life of leisure. In any event, I flashed my landlord my new beautiful smile as I handed over my bigger rent check. I’m starting to re-think that whole fixed income thing.For now, I'm just gonna have to settle for being a  respected part-time working  senior citizen. I got my seatbelt buckled and am in the driver's seat on the bus to retirement town.
 

 
 

Grinnin' and Winnin'

I know it’s been a while since I wrote about my upcoming retirement, but there has been a slight glitch to my plan. Unfortunately, my caregivers are aging faster than I am. When my beloved dentist died, I went into a panic. We had been discussing the conditions of my aging teeth and gums. We were spending less time, simply because I didn’t have as many teeth to worry about. (Which is actually a worry in itself, I know.) So after the shock and grieving processes were over, I had to seriously consider whether total retirement could be achieved.

But the first problem I had was what to do about my less-than-beautiful-Hollywood smile. Finding new people to work on my teeth was more challenging than I thought. Sub-categories started to scare me. Gone was my beloved dentist. Entering into my life were “Oral Surgeons,” “Prosthodontists,” and “Periodontal Specialists.”  Yikes! Aside from being tongue-twisting, their impressive degrees sounded intimidating and expensive. However, I really didn’t want to look like the lady behind the counter at the drugstore. Lovely lady, but when she smiles her toothless grin, one can count the number of pearly whites in her mouth. To make a long story short and not bore you with the icky details, My less-than-stellar smile has been replaced with teeth even Jennifer Anniston would envy. That is the good news. The bad news is that it is removable.

So I dipped into my retirement fund and took a part-time job. I am now living on a fixed income, kind of, and I feel confident when I smile at co-workers. I’m inching closer to my goal of complete retirement, met a plethora of professional people, and am one of millions who depend on Social Security to fund my lifestyle. I’m still renewed.