Well, we retirees and those in semi-retirement made it through another year and another president! Not sure where we’re headed now, but it’s great to just be along for the ride. We’re missing our travel, our adventures, our people! How about you? How are you getting along? Have you been healthy (relative, I know, considering most of us are getting up in age a bit-?) ? Have you had adventures outside your home, your home-town, your state? This year’s effects of COVID-19 on retirees has been unreal, but as a whole, we don’t believe it’s going to keep us down or stop us from appreciating life.
Our kids are doing fine. We stay in touch and check in regularly. But have you noticed there’s less and less to talk about? We haven’t really had any new experiences this year, except COVID-19 and it being an election year, so our conversations seem a bit shorter, almost pleasantries at this point, because we did all the meaningful chats last spring when we had no clue what was going on! Being retirement age means we’re in the “higher risk” category, but come on, it’s time for us to be LIVING, not sitting around, twiddling our thumbs, waiting for “them” to tell us when it’s safe to go back out and play! (Not that we’re going to be reckless or disregard health mandates, just saying).
Thinking about how life has been so different for so long makes us nostalgic for the times we went out, worked hard and played harder. We were looking through some of our products and decided to remind all of you what H.A.R.D. is all about. This shirt says it all and speaks to us today. It’s about getting back in the saddle and feeling the wind in our hair (or our bald head)! Being retired gives us a freedom we didn’t have when were toiling away and working four-10s, or five-eights. Being retired gives us choices and options we couldn’t take advantage of when we were working long hours.
When we think about retirement, we embrace the possibilities it provides. Travel, more golf, time with family, starting up a side-gig, buying a second home, downsizing into something you can easily lock up and leave, etc…We all have dreams and ideas of what our retirement should look like. One thing we all have in common is we LOVE H.A.R.D. gear! We wear it, we give it as gifts, (it makes a great retirement gift) we live in it!
What are your plans for when we can socialize, get out of the house, and live H.A.R.D.? Here are some things we’ve thought of:
- Go to a game-city league, high school, college or pro-team and watch live sports
- Visit friends in assisted living facilities-they must be tired of streaming BINGO
- Visit the grandkids
- Get a pro to fix my COVID haircutting/hair coloring hack job
- Hug everyone I see, or at least those who will let me
- Water my office plants-they’ve been a bit neglected
- Go to a movie
- Invite all our friends to our favorite bar and scream, I mean sing, karaoke
- Travel-anywhere and everywhere
- Put together an Around the World dinner where we all gather at several different houses in one night
- Leisurely shop, like, actually try on clothes, shoes
The H.A.R.D. apparel line, HARD-Wears, made its debut in Daytona Beach, FL. And for the classy, beautiful women, the ones you dream about, a Dame’s apparel line is also in the works. But we are about more than just looking good. H.A.R.D. is a mindset, an attitude. A lifestyle that asks, reflects and answers HARD questions like:
The creation of Half Ass Retired Dude was initially geared towards the Baby Boomer generation – the 78 million people born from 1946 to 1964. These are people in early retirement or those who will be retiring in the near future. However, as we began to ask these questions of ourselves, we realized we shouldn’t just target people our age. H.A.R.D. does not advocate quitting your job, but it encourages you to evaluate what you want and need. In most cases it just asks you to look at life differently. This is also something you shouldn’t do alone. Before making any hasty decisions, seek some advice, get a mentor, pray. A wise person always seeks counsel. Learn more about H.A.R.D. at https://www.hard-wears.com/ or contact us at customerservice@hard-wears.com.
