763 - Relocation, And It's Not Me

Through the course of this Retirement Countdown journey, my focus has been on the changing aspects of my professional, civic and personal life. All of the things you would expect to change, do, on the path to retirement. They've included health, volunteering, college tuition, a heart attack and more. One thing that has been a solid constant has been children... until now.

I am very pleased to say that the change involving the children is quite positive. Son Jake has been pursuing a position in Seattle. Excellent extension to his own professional journey. Two visits. One offer. Accepted. We could not be more pleased and proud.

However, the point of 763 is that now I'm treading in a topic area of the Retirement Countdown never before visited: the moving of a child away from home.

Sure, they both went to college. One local; the other semi-local. Easy transition for Mom and me. This one is different. Not better. Not worse. Different.

Seattle is only a few hour drive away. Twenty-five minutes between PDX and SEA. Geography is working in our favor. But we get the best of both worlds. First, we are proud parents of a successful child. Secondly, we now have an excellent excuse to head up Interstate 5. It's not that I've never had a reason before - Seattle is a great city and I've grown up enjoying it from time to time. Now, there's a "reason."

This "reason" will satisfy my occasional need for a road trip. But the "reason" will have to be managed. After all, my first born will not be just across town. Sure, I may go weeks without seeing him based on our respective schedules and travel demands, but I know he's in the area. Electronic messaging seems to bridge that short gap. A couple of hundred miles will be a wider gap to which I will adjust. Fortunately, it's for all the right reasons.

What's been your experience with distances between you and kids? All positive, I hope? How have you adjusted or endured, depending on the circumstances? What's your advice?

Dave