As I head into the golden years of my life, I find that the things I want to do in my life have changed greatly from my younger idealistic years.

1. I want to "live long and prosper" to quote Mr Spock. With retirement coming upon us quickly I hope that we will live long enough to enjoy what we have worked so hard to attain. As I look back life has gone by so quickly that I still have a lot of unfinished business to attend to.

2. I want to retain the ability to walk. I have developed arthritis in both my knees and I find myself looking at the possibility that I won't be able to be as mobile as I would like.

3. I want to be able to afford to do all the things we planned in our retirement. I think many of the people of our generation are looking at working longer than we ever thought we would have to in order to retire with dignity. None of us know if Social Security will indeed be there to help us survive.

4. I want to solve all the mysteries in my genealogy. Okay this one is probably impossible but if I can at least leave a legacy that my descendants will treasure then I will have done my part.

5. I want to audit some classes at our local community college. Seniors can audit for free and this will be the opportunity for me to take some of the classes that I never had the time to take. I also like the idea of not having to be tested, it takes all the stress out of learning new things.

6. I want to deepen my relationship with God. This is a battle I have fought all my life and I hope that as I cruise toward it's completion I can find find peace with where I am in this struggle.

7. I want to have time to do volunteer work. As a teen I was a "pinkie" at our local hospital and I would love to be able to help there again. My local genealogical library also has many volunteers and they look forward to my volunteering as much as I do.

8. I want to have time to not only smell the roses but to prune the roses. My weeds are into the second and third generation and I look forward to clearing my flower beds and to walking through and enjoying my garden.

9. I want to visit all of the continental states and Canada. I have visited 29 states to date and I hope to have hit at least all 48 before I call it a day. We have also visited all of the Eastern provinces of Canada and British Columbia but there are many miles of the middle of both countries that we have missed.

10. I want to see my grandchildren grown and settled in their lives. They run from 19 to as yet unborn so we will need to live into our eighties to see this through. I look forward to giving it a valiant try.

Learn more about this author, Belle Starr-Travel Channel Steward.
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