Chapter 2

Okay, eight days in. I don’t think it has hit me yet that I don’t have to go back to work. Truth is my last day of work was the Thursday before Thanksgiving, which effectively gave me an extended long weekend. When I think about it like that, I’ve been retired for a grand total of four days. It might take some more time.

 I've started to adapt to a daily routine. Up at 6:30 every morning (6:55 this morning because the Blue Jays playoff game was on late), coffee, screen time, etc. Then I head to the basement for thirty minutes on the treadmill and another ten stretching. I hope I have the willpower to keep this up. My body hurts, but everything costs something. At some point during the day my wife and I meet her Mum at a local walking track and walk for another half hour. I’ve got the exercise covered. Check box is ticked. I have a to do list that grows daily. Most days a couple of tasks get crossed off. Oh, and the naps. Very important,  those naps. They bring a certain balance to my day. Bottom line is my days seem to be comfortably full.

I’ve been planning this retirement thing for a while. Some might say there was some personal motivation involved. You see, I had a front row seat to my father-in-law’s battle with cancer and subsequent death. He was my age, a ripe old sixty-one. Four years later, my Dad succumbed to emphysema.  He made it all the way to sixty-eight. Neither of these gentlemen had the opportunity to enjoy their golden years. Call me selfish,  but this guy has no intension of checking out before experiencing the next phase. So, let’s say I’m hedging my bets. If my number comes up earlier than expected, my wife and I will have had the opportunity to make some great memories. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

One of our first adventures will be what my wife has dubbed my retirement trip. This concept goes back a few years to a conversation with a former colleague who was about to begin his own retirement. I asked him about his plans and he shared that he and his wife, both avid golfers, had planned a month on the road in warmer climates. They would spend their days golfing, relaxing and site seeing. At the end of the month, they would return home and the cycle of the daily grind would be broken. I thought this was a fantastic idea and that evening I shared it with my wife. More conversations ensued over time until this concept became our goal as well. My wife won’t be wrapping up her career for a few more months, but we do have another trip booked for then.

Obviously, this whole concept of walking away from a guaranteed paycheck took some financial planning. I’m a spreadsheet guy. Actually, a very anal spreadsheet guy. That means I have literally spent hours upon hours of time over the last twenty odd years staring at a screen while calculating every possible scenario that might lead me down the path to no stress, warm temperatures and absolute freedom. Or, as most people call it, daydreaming. As I continue this self-analysis of how got here, I hope to document this part of the journey as well. You are welcome to join me.