Friday, May 21, 2021

This is amazing!

My last day of work was this past Monday, and it’s about 7:30AM on Friday as I type this. I’ve been up since 3:30, yes… AM! Do you know that feeling when you wake up on the weekend after a long week at work, and you’re feeling like “Hell yeah, it’s the weekend!”? That’s me… every frickin day this week, but with one MAJOR exception. You know how typically the excitement of the weekend is tempered with the reality that you’re mentally exhausted and usually feel like doing nothing. Sure, sometimes the adrenaline can help to push through and accomplish something, but often you just want to lay in bed or on the couch. Imagine having that “hell yeah, it’s the weekend!” feeling but without the exhaustion and without the stress of work tasks that didn’t get done this week. That is what I’m finally feeling now, only a few days into retirement.

Did everything get done during my first week of freedom that I planned on? Of course not, but I have nobody to answer to but myself, and I got a lot done to make me feel pretty good about my first week.

The good…

• The Mrs and I each got our second COVID vaccination, so now our friends and relatives can feel more at ease to spend time with us.
• Our family went out for a celebration lunch on my first day as a retiree.
• I (with the help of a friend and his bike tools) pulled the old crankset off my bicycle and I purchased the remaining parts to rebuild my 21-speed drivetrain.
• Our music and dance studio got cleaned out and reorganized, I modified our desk to mount the computer underneath, and we picked out a new pub set and lighting for the space.
• I sketched out plans for my new blog and am working on the first “Retirement Journal” entry for the new blog as I type these words.

The bad…

• I didn’t actually publish my new web site yet.
• I didn’t get the bike cleaned for install of the new parts.
• I haven’t played guitar yet this week.

The great…

• FREEDOM! I have the rest of my life to keep planning and working on tasks, balanced with family, friends, and self-care; completing them when and if I want to, and prioritizing as I see fit.

There’s so much beauty in the term, freedom, that I can’t overemphasize it enough. It’s what I’ve been working toward all these years since “My Journey” began, and I’ve finally achieved it! My goal is not to necessarily have everyone quit their jobs and do what I’m doing, but it’s to hopefully convince you that freedom is a goal worth sacrificing for and attaining. If you love your job, that’s great, but I promise you one thing… there will be a day that you don’t want to work 40, 50, or 60 hours a week anymore, when you’re tired of selling your time (the only commodity you CANNOT get more of), but you’ll be stuck unless you’ve achieved financial independence. Sadly, that time may come when you’re missing an anniversary, can’t take time to see a loved one on their death bed, have to console your crying child because you always miss their big performance, or receive divorce papers because you’re never there.

My hope is that every person reaches financial independence and the freedom it provides before they get to a point where they hate their job and that hate sabotages their relationships, attitude toward others, and their ability to enjoy and live life to the fullest. There’s nothing more satisfying than being able to say no to unreasonable demands at work, whether from a boss or client, and know that the “F-you” money is in the bank as backup if they don’t like it.

Freedom rocks!