Oh Shit!
We need a new plan!

I'm in my 50s.

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Like many people my age, I'm preparing for the next stage of my life.

 

I expect my children to leave home over the next five to ten years, and my husband and I will enjoy life as two.

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Well, that was the strategy.

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Then, everything changed: Oh Shit! We needed a new plan.

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What happens when the plan you've had in your mind for years gets turned upside down?

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What if one of your children needs a little more help because the roadmap you were given was never really up to date?

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This is exactly what has happened to us.

 

Our daughter was diagnosed with autism and a cognitive disorder. She's a bright and capable young woman, with ambitions, talents and a future of her own. But she's also facing a world that doesn't always have a place for the way she experiences it.

 

Just as my husband and I started thinking about retirement, travel and what our life might look like when we're finally on our own, we realised we needed to redirect some of that energy. We need to make sure she is prepared for her future.

 

Suddenly, the things we thought we'd be doing look a little different.

 

This isn't a story about having all the answers.

 

It's about figuring them out.

 

It's about getting older, letting go, holding on, family, independence, money, work, identity and the uncomfortable business of planning for a future none of us had really considered.

 

It's my story and the unexpected journey I am taking with my husband to prepare not only for our retirement, but our daughters’ futures. And you're invited along for the ride.

 

Because sooner or later, most of us discover the same thing: We think we've got life planned – and them life punches you in the face.

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All you are left saying is: Oh shit. We need a new plan.