New Year's resolution -- Making retirement sound like fun

My friend Ardis MacGregor turned 100 this Tuesday. This will be the first winter in several years that she hasn't spent a few days with us in Florida during the cold weather. But this year, she's having more trouble getting around in the aftermath of an auto accident that broke several of her ribs.

Although the pain has slowed her down, it hasn't taken any of the edge off her wit and awareness of the world around her. And she even did a little dancing at her grandson's wedding a few months ago.

Ardis' energy and longevity have made me rethink the idea of retirement. Does it make sense to retire at 60 just to spend the next 40 years rocking on the porch? And even if I wanted to do that, could I afford to rely on savings and government largess for four decades or more? I don't think all the retirement planning in the world is really going to bail me out if I live that long. And if Ardis is any indication, I might.