Have Some “Me” Time During Retirement

In contrast with the traditional view on retirement, being “joinedat the hip” late in life may leave spouses less satisfied and fulfilled than ifthey had their own separate interests.

The concept of parallel pay, whereby two individuals becomeengrossed in separate but parallel activities, is increasing more so than inprevious generations.  Parallel play canmake dinner conversations more interesting (because the spouse doesn’t alreadyknow what the other has been up to all day), will reassure each spouse that theother can function independently without them, provides some time alone to answerintrospective questions, offer challenges that can bring about new confidence,and, of course, make the heart grow fonder.

Parallel play isn’t about extreme emotional separation, justtime to allow you to grow and become as whole as you can be.

See MaryanneVandervelde, Why Too Much TogethernessCan Ruin Retirement, The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 8, 2013. 

Special thanks toJim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringingthis article to my attention.