From Char’s Desk: Living the Retirement “Dream”

This type of post is long overdue! My apologies. I want to share with you what’s happening here in Central Florida and what that means for you. I so much appreciate your faithful friendship and support! You are indeed a blessing.

Retirement Dreams vs. Reality

My Boaz and I looked at each other a couple of weeks ago and asked, “Where has all the time gone!” It seems like we met forever ago. Honestly, it was almost eleven years since we married, and thirteen since we first met. That jumped out to me when I pulled some of our wedding stuff out of storage for my older daughter, who is getting married next year. Time flies faster with each passing year, doesn’t it?

One stark realization we’ve had in our retirement dream is that what we imagine never happens the way we thought it would. We designed and built “Our Dream House” together, only to discover that the builder and his subcontractors were subpar. That meant taking on a lot of projects ourselves that we didn’t expect. We’ve installed our baseboard and fixed electrical hazards (they passed inspection somehow). Now we are finishing my Boaz’s plane hangar.

What we didn’t factor in is that our health issues worsened after COVID right after we moved in a couple of years ago. Boaz had torn his rotator cuff and underwent surgery, and then he got shingles, followed by COVID within 6 months! His heart condition and anesthetic from his surgery certainly did not get along well. His recovery challenged both of us. For me, MCVD has worsened, and it is a progressive autoimmune disease. So now imagine climbing scaffolding, using a wench to install thick plywood to the ceiling for flooring in the attic space, and more. Then, we will insulate and drywall the entire space, which is large enough to house two airplanes and other items. Boaz stated, “I can’t die for a very long time. I’ve got way too much to finish!!!” My response was, “We just might die in the process!!!” I say retire with enough time to enjoy it, but not so early that your money runs out and you must move in with your kids!

When we first started this retirement adventure, we dreamed of riding the bike trails regularly, flying often, and traveling to see our kids and grandkids more often. So far, we’ve only ridden the bike trail twice since moving here two years ago, In all fairness, we’ve ridden in our neighborhood several times. We’ve flown only a handful of times because a landing gear issue needed fixing on top of the annual inspection required by the FAA. Unfortunately, Boaz has been tied up with other house projects. My son and his family have visited us twice, and we’ve gone out to Colorado a couple of times to see two of our other kids and their families, while one of them has come here once. By the way, the altitude change on aging hearts with health issues is brutal! We discovered that most retirees have those big dreams dashed when reality hits the pavement.

As a Twice Blessed couple, the oneness I took for granted with my late husband seems more challenging to achieve the second time around. Boaz never really experienced it, so he feels an oneness with me that he never had before. What he hasn’t realized is that oneness is a lifelong process as a couple–let alone the second time around. Twice Blessed couples, especially in midlife, have to make a greater deliberate effort to build it one block at a time. This oneness is constantly under siege, though. The whole his-mine-ours thing with families and pasts doesn’t make it easy. I’ve found that the answer is to respect each other’s pasts and family ties while tag-teaming issues to hold that oneness together. What God has pulled together, let no one tear apart.

Health-Fitness-Wellness News

I no longer work one-on-one with clients for personal training or Christian wellness coaching. I’ve decided not to renew my health and fitness certifications because:

 1) my health limits my ability to do the physical demonstrations, spotting, and cueing that’s necessary,

2) it is expensive to renew them every two years when so many Christians expect everything to be free and

3) The health and fitness industry is ridiculously saturated with the New Age and progressive ideology.

 In the meantime, I am looking for a reputable Christian wellness coach certification organization. Until then, I can still lead groups and write about health, fitness, and wellness from a biblical Christian perspective. What I can’t do is charge for groups or work with clients. That’s where the line between pro and influencer resides. My Christian Wellness Journal group is restarting in  October. In the meantime, you can get your discounted copy of the Christian Wellness Journal at a discount. The group is for women and is free.

Pressing On & Moving Forward

I’m currently working on two books: a Bible study and inspirational Christian self-help. The Bible study is on a publisher’s desk for consideration, and the other will probably be self-published. I’m waiting to see which one God has me focus my time on. I hope to give you positive updates sooner rather than later. In the meantime, you are welcome to check out the books in my Store and start your Christmas shopping! if you want your books sent somewhere other than to you, you can do that! I can also send them in the USPS Christmas envelopes for an additional charge.

Two upcoming events include a craft show on December 5 at Trinity Springs in Oxford, Florida, and the  Florida Christian Writer’s Conference in mid-October. I’m waiting to find out if I can take books to the WLOV Book Expo in January. If you want more information about these events, email me at charlaine_martin@yahoo.com. It would be great to see you there!

One last thing. I’ve been writing devotions regularly at Crossmap.com. The latest is Don’t Give Up! You can subscribe for free to get devotions and nighttime prayers sent to your inbox. They also have an excellent home page full of encouragement, news, and more.

As for ChiRho Flow, I’m coming off a flare. Hurricane season brings a lot of low-pressure cells through here. I hope to restart the videos in the next couple of weeks. Thank you so much for patiently waiting!

May the God of peace give you peace in all circumstances. Philippians 4:7 says, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Blessings to you!

Charlaine Martin