Of course, retirement and meetup can be done altogether. Debbie Sanford will share with us how she managed to make new friends after she retirement. You can listen to the show at: http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/retirement-and-meetup-episode-31 Debbie Sanford teaches us about Retirement and Meetup, and how they go together. Debbie Sanford is a native Californian who lived in the Bay Area for 64 years. She retired in June 2014 after teaching preschool for 24 years. Shortly thereafter, her long-term marriage broke up and her youngest daughter became pregnant. She decided to purchase the “beach house” of her dreams, which was a lovely manufactured home within blocks of the beach. It had always been a fantasy of hers to live near the beach and she wanted to be close to her daughter. Three weeks after she moved, her first grandchild was born. SOCIAL AND FAMILY Debbie didn’t know anyone in the area other than her daughter. Already feeling like her life had gone full circle, but she needed friends, she joined the activities in her 55+ living community, met some fun women her age, and shared happy hours and fun times with them. But other things were missing, such as a book club, bunko, and volunteering. She had all participated in the Bay Area for the last 35 years.  Enter the world of Meetups!!  She joined a variety of meetup groups including Hiking, Book club, and Random acts of kindness.   Retirement and Meetup certainly go together! VOLUNTEER AND PHILANTHROPY In addition to spending time in Retirement and Meetup, Debbie loves to volunteer and believes by volunteering you are really helping yourself by helping others. Some places she volunteers for are: * Meals on Wheels * Encinitas Lions Club * Kiwanis * Afterschool programs teaching children who speak Spanish to read English Before You Retire: Before retirement, Debbie was nervous and a little anxious. She wishes she would have known how happy she would be in retirement. Getting “unstuck” in your retirement: Look for a meeting in a city you live in for the volunteer bureaus. This meeting will tell you all the volunteer opportunities in all the cities in your area. Volunteering doesn’t have to be a physical activity. There are a wide range of different opportunities you can pick something based on what you like to do. Remember, you can Rock Your Retirement too, but finding something you love.  Perhaps Meetup.com is the place to find it! http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/R_Debbie_Sanford_060422_IFinals.mp3