Carol and Joe have been married thirty years, the kids are grown and the nest is empty. Joe has worked all his life, now he's ready to slow down. After spending twenty-two years as a Mom, Carol recently received her Real Estate license. She loves her new found career. she's blooming while Joe is wilting.

Because their lives have been so active and busy, they haven't spent much time talking about their dreams, goals, wishes for their future. They were so busy being good parents they forgot to concentrate on their relationship. Now they look at each other across the dinner table and wonder, "Who is this person?" Bottom line - they share a house, but not their lives. they're going in different directions, but neither are aware of what's ahead.

Finally Retired!

Finally the day comes that Joe retires. He looks forward to working in his garage, doing some fix up work and in general, taking it easy. In the meantime, Carol is feeling like she's really making a difference. For the first time in years she's experiencing a challenging career outside of the home.

Six months pass. Joe is feeling like a lost puppy. All the work he wanted to do is done; he wanders around the house looking for something to do. He misses being around people, he misses feeling productive. he's bored, unhappy and experiencing minor depression. He starts asking Carol to do things during the day. She doesn't feel she can cancel her plans for a day off to entertain Joe.

When they were first married, and before the children, they had traveled and enjoyed each other. They talked about continuing this passion when they retired. The time has come, but only one is ready to go. Joe is unhappy; Carol is annoyed . Their marriage is headed for crisis and they don't know what to do.

Does this sound familiar?

When you think of the word retirement, what do you see? As we can tell from this story, retirement isn't just about having enough money in the bank to quit working. It needs planning; and planning means conversations about what each spouse wants and how they envision their future. Retirement means compromise, learning how to fulfill your own dreams while taking the other's dreams into consideration.

Are you prepared for the next chapter of your life? don't assume that because you've lived with your spouse for thirty years you know their beliefs, or what they want, dream about or are planning. You could be in for the surprise of your life!

In the movie, Gone With the Wind, Scarlett O'Hara kept saying, "I'll think about it tomorrow." As a favor to yourself and your loved ones, determine that your tomorrow is here today and begin planning your future. You and your spouse have a lot of years ahead of you; make the most of each one with a sense that you know the direction your journey is taking. It will be a much easier road to travel once you have.

Linda S. Thompson a Baby Boomer. she's also the founder and president of Life Path Solutions, who specializes in helping you comprehend, and work and live with, those around you. And she's the author of Every Generation Needs a New Revolution. Linda is available to speak on various topics about the generations and can be contacted through her site. For more information about Linda's books, CDs and lecture topics, along with other free articles, please visit her site at http://LifePathSolutions.biz/