I used to think having more meant earning more, buying more, or being able to do bigger things.
These days, “more” means something completely different to me.
I want more time.
Time to drink my coffee without watching the clock.
Time to work in the garden until I’m ready to stop — not because I have to hurry up and get ready for work.
Time to sit near the water, take a drive just because I feel like it, work on a little project, or spend an afternoon with family without mentally counting how many hours are left before I have to get back to everything else.
None of those things are extravagant.
Most of them don’t cost much at all.
But after spending so many years arranging my days around work, bills, responsibilities, and everything that has to be done, those simple things feel pretty luxurious to me.
At this point in my life, I’m realizing that having control over my time may be one of the richest things I could ever have.
I Want Mornings That Don’t Start With an Alarm
There’s something about the idea of waking up because I’m finished sleeping instead of because an alarm says it’s time to get moving.
I don’t need anything exciting waiting for me.
Give me a cup of coffee, a quiet morning, and somewhere outside to sit, and I’m pretty happy.
I want to be able to watch the morning come alive instead of already thinking about where I need to be, what time I have to leave, and everything waiting for me at work.
Maybe I’ll water the plants. Maybe I’ll sit there longer than I planned. Maybe I’ll decide I’m not doing much of anything that morning.
The luxury isn’t sleeping until noon. It’s simply not having to rush.
After years of living by a work schedule, that sounds pretty wonderful to me.
I Want More Time With My Hands in the Dirt
Gardening is one of those things that doesn’t really care about your schedule.
The weeds keep growing. Something always needs watering. And somehow there’s always another little project I want to try. 😂
But I enjoy it.
There’s something peaceful about being outside, growing something, watching it change, and seeing the results of the time you put into it.
I’d love to have days when I can work outside for a while, take a break when I feel like it, and come back to it later — instead of trying to squeeze everything into the small amount of energy I have left after work.
I don’t need a picture-perfect garden.
I just want enough time to enjoy the one I have.
I Want More Days Near the Water
I don’t need a fancy resort or an expensive vacation.
Give me a beach, a river, a lake, or just somewhere I can sit and look out over the water for a while.
There’s something about being near water that makes everything slow down a little.
I want more days when I can pack a few things, head somewhere beautiful, and stay until I’m ready to come home — without constantly checking the time because I have work the next morning.
Maybe I’ll walk. Maybe I’ll explore. Maybe I’ll just sit there and do absolutely nothing productive. 😂
Not every good day needs an itinerary.
Sometimes a chair, some water, and nowhere you have to be is enough.
I Want to Take the Long Way Home
I’ve always liked the idea of getting in the car and going somewhere without every minute of the day already planned.
Maybe I see a little town I’ve never explored. Maybe there’s an old road I’ve always wondered where it goes. Maybe I decide to head toward the beach or stop somewhere simply because it looks interesting.
I want more room in my life for those little unplanned adventures.
Not every trip needs plane tickets, hotel reservations, or months of planning.
Sometimes I just want to get in the car, turn on some music, and see what I find.
And if the scenic route takes an extra hour?
That’s okay. I won’t have anywhere I need to clock in. 😂
I Want More Time With the People I Love
One thing that becomes clearer as you get older is that time with people matters more than almost anything you can buy.
I don’t want every visit to have to fit around a work schedule.
I want to be able to stay another day if I feel like it. Have coffee in the morning without already thinking about when I need to get on the road. Show up for the ordinary moments, not just holidays and special occasions.
Sometimes the best memories aren’t made during some big planned event.
They’re made sitting around talking, laughing about something ridiculous, eating together, or doing absolutely nothing special at all.
I want more time for the ordinary moments — because I’m starting to realize those may be the ones that matter most.
Maybe This Is What a Rich Life Looks Like to Me Now
When I put all of these things together, I realize I’m not asking for anything particularly extravagant.
Coffee outside. Dirt under my fingernails. A day near the water. A long drive. More time with the people I love.
None of it requires a huge bank account.
What it requires is something I haven’t always had enough of:
Time that belongs to me.
I know life after 60 will still have bills, responsibilities, problems, and days that don’t go according to plan.
I’m not expecting some perfect life where every morning looks like a retirement commercial. 😂
I just want more space between the things I have to do for the things I actually want to do.
Maybe that’s one of the biggest changes happening in me as I get older.
I’m not dreaming about having more things anymore. I’m dreaming about having more life in my days.
And I think I’m finally figuring out what that means for me.