- Joined
- May 14, 2020
- Messages
- 7,550
- Reaction score
- 23,791
My wife and I have 55 as our goal. Her retirement is a bit ahead of mine because I honestly had no intention of seeing 40 years old until I met her, so I spent every penny on experiences to try and max out enjoyment until then. I can still get there in the next 16 years, it will just take a little more sacrifice.
She wants to travel but I require some form of a job to feel like I have a purpose. We are constantly brainstorming ideas for a business where I work for myself that allows for our travel to be tax deductible as a business expense.
The thing that surprises me the most right now is how different my life and the things I value are from what I thought I wanted in my 20s and early 30s. Before my wife and our two kids, I had no interest in settling down with anyone and definitely no kids in the picture because I wanted a clean break when I was finally done with life. Thinking about my expiration date being less than 18 months away from today and I cannot imagine cutting this short. Every single seemingly impossible day I managed to somehow power through has paid off a million times over to allow for the life I have now and the people I love all around me.
It's pretty amazing how priorities change, isn't it? I thought I needed that adrenaline rush and to run around like my hair was on fire until I hit 50. Hell...I was 40 when I competed for a spot on the SWAT team. The 20-somethings couldn't understand how an old man beat them for the spot...I just told them I wanted it more than they did because I was running out of time.
Now, at 61, I go out and have coffee with goats. And I'm OK with that. But, still...never saw that coming!