thaleia

Well, also, the woman who wrote the article totally has a plan for her retirement, and it's not going to be boring at all - she mentioned involvement in non-profit work, corporate boards, and writing. I think for people who have varied interests and involvements like that, retirement seems much more vital and appealing, no matter where they are living. Perhaps I'm foolishly optimistic, but if I continue to be part of the community I'm part of, I think that my (one day in many many years) retirement will be a blast, with arts and creative pursuits and camping and activism and non-profit volunteering and perhaps board work, and that I'll have no difficulty staying busy. So I don't think that the state you live in plays such a large role.

But I do understand your concern over your mom. I hope that she develops some hobbies and interests, because I imagine that without those, it'll be difficult for her to remain engaged and happy.

As we age, we become the parents and our parents become the children, and that is a very strange thing. I think it's a thing that we have a very difficult relationship with - both the parents and the kids. I suppose, like a good parent might, you could find ways to encourage your mom to be strong on her own... perhaps making plans to explore various hobby type things with her when she is in San Francisco would be helpful.

I wish you and your mom luck. It's hard to make transitions, and it's very hard if you're transitioning from something to... a lack of that something. You're right, she needs some kind of plan.