Pensioner dreams of running off to South America

DEAR AMY: I'm at an age where I'm eligible for Social Security and draw a pension. I enjoy good health and still have an energy level of a much younger man. I'm scared to death of going into my twilight years with nothing to look forward to other than carrying my wife's purse around cute little boutiques, playing cards and dealing with boring people. I know this sounds selfish and I have a little guilt about it, but if I don't follow this dream, I'll never know what adventures might await me. I intend to explore the possibilities of living on my own in South America, where my dollar will afford me a certain amount of freedom and luxury. Am I crazy? I know there are a lot of unanswered questions, but I have a dream, and I want to see it through.

-- Old-Timer in the Northwest

DEAR OLD TIMER: Your scheme certainly does raise a few questions.

Let's start with the most obvious: What happens to Mrs. Old-Timer while you are in South America? Will she have to hold her own purse and deal with a lot of boring people back here in the good ol' USA? I gather she will.

Your dream sounds like a fine dream - though I venture that South America contains as many boring people as anywhere else (of course, they're boring in another language). If you are married and intend to stay married, you'll need to run your dream past your wife before you book a ticket.

If you don't intend to stay married, South America is as good a place as any to run from matrimony.

Every sane person should dream a big dream, and every sane person in a long marriage occasionally dreams about decamping alone to South America.

Your job is to sort out the dissatisfaction from the dream, do the research necessary to see if you can live your dream, and then - gulp - run it past your wife.