Top 5 Things I Love about Early Retirement
I had a wonderful vacation up the Oregon Coast last week. I hiked for almost 20 miles on the Oregon Coast Trail and the scenery was stunning. I hiked through the forest, on the beach and past a lighthouse. It was one of the prettiest hikes I can remember. While I was on this trip, I thought about all of the things I loved about early retirement.
My Top 5
1. Freedom – What I cherish the most is the ability to wake up in the morning and choose how I want to spend my day. My entire adult life, I have been doing what others paid me to do, when they wanted me to do it. I am finally free from the office, boss and cell phone.
2. Adventure – I have a huge bucket list of adventures and I am finally getting to see these places. I have been wanting to see the Oregon Coast for years and I will have two more adventure trips next month. I could never see all of these places with 2-3 weeks of vacation when I worked. Now, I finally have the time.
3. Sleeping In – Three years ago, I turned off my alarm clock and started waking up naturally. Now, I don’t have to worry about being late to work, so I can wake when I choose. I don’t sleep the whole day away, but I can decide to get up at the normal time or sleep a little longer. Good sleep is part of good health. Most people don’t get enough.
4. Weekdays – When I was working, my coworkers despised Mondays and lived for Fridays. Now that I’m retired, I look forward to Mondays, when people return to work and life is calm and peaceful. I can go for walks, eat at restaurants and go to the store or bank when it’s not crowded. Weekends are for workers.
5. Solitude – I had a very demanding job and often it was hectic. Emails flowed into my Inbox and the phone rang all day. If I was too busy helping someone, others would start walking into my office. On top of that, I was on call 7×24 for 25 years. So, I didn’t get much time to relax and think. Now that I am retired, I enjoy moments of solitude.
The Bottom Line
The real gift of retirement or financial independence is the ability to do what you want, when you want. If you have the time, money, health and freedom to chase your dreams in life, you are truly blessed.
“The key to retirement is to find joy in the little things.” – Susan Miller
