10/11/2026
“We can’t wait to come back.”
I hear it on last mornings, over an open car trunk, sometimes with tears. That’s stage one, and it’s a good place to start.
Stage two is where the dream can stall. “When I retire.” The plan is real. The date isn’t.
Stage four doesn’t have to mean buying a house. It means you stopped waiting for the date.
Which stage are you in? Drop the number. No judgement. I lived in stage one for years.
