Reinvent for Retirement Lesson #2: Location Matters

This is a picture of our side garden.  As you can see, the hostas are thriving, the flowering baskets are blooming and the rose bushes are about to bud.  All appears to be well in the Collamer garden.

Alas, all is not as glorious as it seems.

Sadly, what you don’t see amidst the healthy greenery are our rather pathetic clematis vines.  They should be covering the trellises, but instead, they lie limp on the ground, barely hanging on to life. It hasn’t been for lack of effort; we’ve tried fertilizing (more and less), watering (more and less) and even checked the acid balance of the soil.  Ultimately, we realized that there just isn’t enough sun in this spot to make the clematis grow, no matter what else we do.

Ironically, if I walk just a few yards down to my neighbor’s house, their clematis vine is growing like a weed.  That plant comes back year after year, taller and stronger with each season.  When I asked my neighbor what she does to make the plant so healthy, she laughed and said, “Not much, all it needs is some occasional watering.” Isn’t it interesting how the same plant thrives in one location, while struggling to survive in another?

I see the same phenomena at play with my retirement coaching clients. When they are “planted in the “wrong soil,” they struggle. Yet when that same person moves to a different home, community or part of the country — one that is a better fit for their interests, social life and sensibilities— they blossom. There’s always an adjustment period, but over time they thrive.

Of course, not every relocation is a wise move. Sometimes it’s smarter to stay put and adapt your home to meet your evolving needs. Whatever you decide, It’s important to think long and hard about what conditions will help you flourish in retirement, before you pull up roots in search of greener pastures.