My sister and I went to a trail nearby on Thanksgiving weekend called Painted Desert Trail. It was very interesting and very beautiful. It felt so good to just hike along a fairly easy trail and I began wondering what retirement is going to look like. Will I be able to find new trails and go whenever I feel the urge? Will I be so used to the workday structure that I find myself waiting for the weekend to actually go do something? Whatever will happen is going to happen soon. I’m so close to retirement, I can smell the creosote bushes along the trail. I vow to explore as many new things as possible and go on many adventures. Hopefully with a friend or loved one, but if I have to, I’ll just go on my own and delight in what I find. I can’t wait!

Susan Cannon, Painted Desert Trail, Southern Arizona