More to life? But what?

Narrowboats can give a relaxing way of life. We have one just for holidays, it is very luxurious for a narrowboat and is fitted out for live aboard, but I couldn’t live on it all the time, I would go stir crazy. The chores of emptying the toilet waste and filling up the water tank constantly, the lack of storage space and I would miss my garden too much. Boating is actually quite hard work especially if you have to manage the locks on your own! I have friends who live aboard and some who are now back in a house after a few years. It might sound romantic to cruise along without a care in the world but I would suggest hiring a boat for a couple of weeks first to try it first.

I seem to be in the very small minority and think I must be very boring but this year has made me realise that after 38 years of marriage and a frantic life with 3 children,a job involving shifts and a lot of pressure and then running my own business.And DH losing a business through no fault of his own and starting from scratch again and several very bumpy years in and amongst when we lost loved ones and have become carers for elderly parents.Well after all that ,plus a pretty full social life ,this past few months have been the quietest and most rewarding unexpectedly.I haven't even missed the social life tbh.
Of course I've hated all the bad news,our finances have been hit hard .I've even had Covid myself,as have 3 close family members -fortunately all ill at home and recovered.I have worried about our DDs and their jobs.One is an ICU nurse .Another a teacher.
But I feel calmer,more content with my lot than ever.As a previous poster said time with DH has felt like a gift.He's a glass half full kind of chap luckily and we've found humour in the daftest of things. I love my home - yes a bungalow! - and large garden and pets.I have realised I have no desire to explore the far flung world but, do have a long list of places in the UK we want to visit when restrictions ease.But then when I retired I just dreamt of ' days full of purposelessness 'as Bob Mortimer the comedian said after his heart scare caused him to evaluate life.
I guess we all want /need different things in life to feel fulfilled- and nothing wrong with that.

Msida

This thread is very interesting because most of you want to live the rest of your lives to the full, as much as you are able.

I have been frustrated by people complaining about youngsters losing out on a year of their lives because of covid. I think that they probably have 60 to 70 years at least ahead of them so why so much pity?

It's very cheering to hear from those over 80 who are still enjoying life.

As regards motor homes, they can be very expensive. Some friends bought one so that they could travel from London to their house in France and out to Suffolk to see her mother. That was it. They didn't use it for other holidays. En route to their French house they stayed on farms which cost very little. The motor home cost over £20,000. Think how far that would go if you just spent it on holidays and other entertainments.

Good luck to all of you who are planning a change, no matter how small.

For those who are fed up with bungalows - they can be remodelled and opened up - lots of younger people do that now.

Yes Dinahmo it’s called bungalow swallowing! The appearance can be changed dramatically. I have been in a bungalow since the 70s but from the outside, I like to think it looks more like a Lodge and I have countrified it as well as creating rooms below.

Grannybuy, I'm sorry to hear of your loss, but you do seem to have lift up your chin to look ahead. Good for you.

LadyBella, there are so many good posts here to take in and evaluate. I understand your restless spirit and the feeling of more to accomplish.

For those that have found the original poster to be ungrateful; I don't agree at all! In her first sentence she states she is grateful for all she has, and the situation she is in.

Sometimes I daydream about what is next; I'm not retired yet but my DH is. He has had some health scares in the past, but he is a very content person. Content with our home, our garden and our lifestyle. He is not one to crave change or far flung travels. I am the dreamer in our relationship! Who knows what the future brings, but we can perhaps take time to evaluate what makes us happy, and what little or large things can make us even happier.

Perhaps plan to dip your toe into unknown waters. Rent a houseboat, or a cottage by the sea whenever we get clearance to do so. Do it for a long enough time to really get a taste of it, and perhaps even do it off-season to get a taste of 'real life' and not a summer holiday. A cottage by the sea in March may not be what you expected! But please be open to some exploration of your ideas.

Several of you are confirming what I already knew, that women are the adventurous ones and often it is the husbands who want to stay at home. And it's not just confined to travel.

I had a friend, somewhat older than me whose husband wouldn't even go to the cinema or theatre with her. The only holidays they had were when he and a couple of friends went over to Northern France to play gold and their wives went too.

The husband of a former neighbour refused to go to the ballet with her. I think he didn't like the idea of men prancing around in tights. (or perhaps he didn't like to see the size of their lunch boxes) Being told that dancers were very strong and had a lot of stamina made no difference to his attitude.

Obviously not all men are like that - my OH isn't but then he's not an alpha male.