Retirement Planning

So most people when they use the term "Retirement Planning" always mean "Retirement Financial Planning." In my case nothing could be further from the truth. I don't give a shit about finances. Can finances buy you happiness, contentment and health? Probably not. I've managed to save a little bit but it's not over 30k and I'll be drawing a good pension that I've worked since 1964 to earn. My tastes are very simple and my spending has always been at bare minimum because I never had any money and have always lived within my means. Enough of this money talk. Retirement planning is now my primary focus even though I still have 2 years to grind out before I retire.

I've been discussing this with a dear old friend of mine who is my age and we've known each other since we were 18 and worked our first job at the "Army and Navy" store. We've been fast friends ever since even though we haven't lived in the same city for quite some time. We have decided upon a more temperate climate here in Canada and we are moving there, she in May of this year and me in May of 2015. We will keep separate apartments as she is the "Felix" to my "Oscar". I have pets, she doesn't. She irons her socks. What else can I say?

We have picked out the place and have friends scouting it out for rentable apartments we can afford.

So we've decided that we want to:

Try our hand at golf and laugh ourselves silly (I think the last time my friend played golf she knocked out and killed a wild goose)
Try fishing
Do some gardening
Definitely take long hikes daily
Join the reading club (not me as I already know what I like to read and am inflexible)
Take some courses (not me, I'm concentrating on hiking and leaving the heavy thinking to my friend)
Take jaunts to our favorite city, rent rooms on the beach and stroll through the parks
Take an Alaskan Cruise
Go to other cities in the area on shopping sprees (not me, I'll go sightseeing instead)

We've decided that we will maintain our health so that we can enjoy ourselves. I have started my diet a few days ago, couldn't even wait for the 1st of January. Dropped 2 lbs already.

It's amazing what a joy planning a retirement can be. I can hardly wait and it has lifted my mood significantly.