There comes a moment in many lives when the path you expected to follow simply… stops.

It might be illness.
It might be disability.
It might be caring responsibilities.
It might be age.

Or it might simply be that your body has given decades of service to a physical profession and can no longer keep up — even though your mind and spirit are still full of ideas.

This is where I found myself.

After years working in early years — a deeply physical, hands-on career — I had to retire early on health grounds. It wasn’t a neat or comfortable transition. It was emotional, frightening, and practical all at once.

Because here is a reality many people face in the UK today:

Eligibility for disability support is tightening

Assessments are changing

Financial support is uncertain

Recent reforms have proposed stricter rules for disability benefits, including requirements that claimants demonstrate significant functional difficulty in specific daily activities to qualify for some payments.
Changes to Universal Credit health support are also set to reduce or freeze additional payments for new claimants from 2026.

Critics warn these reforms may leave many households worse off financially, potentially pushing some into poverty.

In short — depending entirely on the system is no longer something many people feel safe doing.

That is not political commentary.
That is lived reality.

So we adapt…..Its a good idea to have a plan B