Chapter 3: Back to the Beginning

 Another week of retirement and the adjustment continues. I filled our municipality provided garbage bin this week, from the accumulation of  junk collected over almost forty years. If I can do this every garbage day, the basement should be cleaned out in about ten years. Our supper club met on the weekend and we toasted my retirement. My wife is now the only member still employed. These folks are role models for me. Some are newly retired in the last couple of years and have paved the path for me. The daily exercise routine is probably the most important activity I’m trying to emulate. I do admit I am feeling better and my energy levels are ramping up. 

A few more items have come off the to do list this week. One of those was removing a pile of brush from the yard. This was a very educational experience.  I learned just how out of shape I am. That is what sitting in front of a screen as a remote worker for almost fourteen years does to you. Up in the morning,  coffee, open the laptop and off we go! At the end of the day, especially during the winter months, I would close up shop, eat supper and binge watch TV until it was time to turn in. I may be exaggerating a bit, but this is really not that far from reality.  I lived a very unhealthy lifestyle. One of my retirement goals is to fix this.

The true adventure to early retirement started with a ten-year plan, although the dream really began many years before. As the dreamer in the family, I am the idea man. The initial plan was to get out of high school,  get a job with the government road crew and collect my pension in 30 years. Turns out I had a bit more ambition than I gave myself credit for. The years went by and a few not so great jobs got me to thinking that I might be able to make something of myself after all. A job with a government crown corporation in the early years was very enlightening. It was the first time I worked in an environment where the primary objective was to do as little work as possible. Sorry, but I was not raised that way. I was a casual worker, which meant I could be called in any day of the work week to fill in at any position. Management and I worked out a pretty good system. They would call and I would come, no questions asked. It didn’t matter what the job was, or the pay grade. I showed up and went to work. This work ethic paid off in the end. The plant was going through a major refit and they hired me on to work on the renovation project. As I reflect back, that was a definite turning point. Before long, I was on to bigger and better things.

Our first attempt at building our “financial future” came long before we were ready for it. As a young family in the eighties, we lived like most, paycheck to paycheck and, trust me, there was not much left after the necessities were looked after. More on this next time. I hope you can join me.

Chapter 2: The Journey Begins

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.

Chapter 1: I'm Retiring!

Retirement! Wow! Almost here. In three days, I will close my work laptop for the last time. I will hand it in on day four. Then, for the next twenty days, I will be taking some saved up vacation. On day twenty-one, I will be officially retired. That is a lot to take in. My forty-three-year journey is coming to an end and the next phase will begin.

A lot of thought has gone in to what my next adventure will look like. Purging my basement, tending to lots of neglected yard work and travel have been on the list for quite some time. I think these are most likely on everyone’s list. I will have lots of time and I am going to be productive damn it! Well, truth is, I question if I will attack the basement and yard with as much vim and vigor as I see in my mind’s eye.

Lately, I’ve been trying to think with more of a hint of realism. Work is not necessarily what I want to replace work with. Deep down, what are the things I’ve put off from my “want to do” list? I must say, the list grows each day as this new reality becomes more than a light at the end of the tunnel. Obviously, family comes first and will always be my priority. But now is my time. How am I going to fill my days?

Early in my career, I had a job that required me to do a fair amount of writing. Surprisingly, I became very passionate about it. Over the years, I’ve tried to find opportunities to practice this hobby but, like with most things, life got in the way. Now I have no more excuses. Let’s just say my calendar has opened up.

All that to say I’ve decided to commit to myself to follow my passion and write. I’ve thought about what type of medium to utilize to express my thoughts, and what the focus of those thoughts might be. I’ve had a bit of experience with blogging, and it is a relatively easy process, so this is where I’ve chosen to share my words. A while back, I took time to think about topics that are important and interesting to me. Given my new “career”, I’ve decided to use this forum to document my retirement! Am I too young to retire? Do I have enough money? Will I be happy without a structured day? So many questions that will only be answered with time.

I don’t know that anybody will find my writing interesting, or if it will bring any value to anyone. Hell, I don’t even know if it will ever be read. If it is, great! If somebody is intrigued and comes back for more, fantastic! If not, that is okay too. After decades spending my days playing to the beat of somebody else’s drum, this song is for me. I invite you to come along for the ride.