A very good friend

[Scuba]

WOW! I have lost many of friends in their 50's. Reading through the posts makes me even happier I retired at 57 then ever before. We just don't know when our time is up.

Like so many have said here "you can't buy back time" I repeated that to many people that ask about my early retirement.

+1

 

[oma]

I just found out my very good friend passed away several days ago. He was 53. His wife and him were on a cruise and she found him in their cabin on the floor. Last time I talked to him he was boasting how he was healthy as a horse and never had a thing wrong with him.
He and I have spent many many hours talking about what we would do during retirement, what we would go see, how we would spend the average day, everything. Our wives always teased us that the first one to say the "R" word when we got together had to buy a round. He was about a year away from FIRE.
Don't ever let your fears stop you from your dreams. There is no scheduled end date. I will miss him dearly.

Sorry to hear about your loss. These types of stories were what motivated me to retire at 47 yrs of age (and save/pay myself first starting w/ my first paycheck). I was in healthcare (nurse) and saw early demise and realized at an early age (when I saw a colleague die of a heart attack in his 20's) that life could be too short to work when you no longer needed the finances.

Just yesterday I was telling myself that I've never been healthier (during my 5-mile run) but realize that health can change in a minute and I'm very fortunate to be where I am today and never take it for granted.

 

[skipro33]

Loosing a close friend is tough. I sometimes think it's tougher than loosing a family member because the bond can be closer in some cases. As you work through your grief, just remember what you did to make his life a better one and how he did the same for you. It won't ease the pain, but it will fill your head with happy thoughts.
God Bless

 

[mistermike40]

Very sorry for your loss. It's a wake-up call when it's someone that young, but it really hurts when it's someone close to you... it doesn't seem fair.

I've lost three friends-since-childhood in the past few years... all of them appeared to be healthy and in their early 50's. You just never know.

I financially "plan" for 35-40 years of retirement activities/enjoyment/travel, but really I'm protecting myself in case I live that long.

 

[whatnot]

I am sorry for your loss. We have lost 2 friends in the last couple of years. 1 had been retired less than 1 year and was mid 50's. The other was 63 and died in a car accident. Very sad for both of the families.

 

[street]

That is so sad...

We all only have three years left on the planet, we just do not know when it starts.

I like that analogy and is so true!

 

[Bigdawg]

I am worried about Blue Collar Guy. BCG posted regularly and had some great stories. He mentioned being a larger guy. I PM'd him a few weeks ago. No response. OP, sorry for your loss.

 

[Nemo2]

I am worried about Blue Collar Guy. BCG posted regularly and had some great stories.

I miss his posts too...he was quite amusing...hope he's well.

 

[mistermike40]

I am worried about Blue Collar Guy. BCG posted regularly and had some great stories. He mentioned being a larger guy. I PM'd him a few weeks ago. No response. OP, sorry for your loss.

I sent him a PM as well. Hope he's doing OK...

 

[Scuba]

I sent him a PM as well. Hope he's doing OK...

I was also wondering what happened to BCG .... haven't seen his posts in a long time.

 

[Meadbh]

I believe BCG was banned. I don’t know why. But that’s probably why he is not responding to your PMs.

 

[MichaelB]

Not banned.

 

[braumeister]

BCG hasn't logged in for a couple of months, so the answer could be anything.

Back on topic, I had a very good friend who died a few years ago. We had been close for over fifty years, and he was apparently healthy and active, with a loving family and a very successful career. Collapsed while getting ready for w*rk one morning and never regained consciousness. People would be stunned and talking about it everywhere if he had been struck by lightning instead, but there's really no difference.

Just a good reminder to treat everyone as well as you can for as long as you're here.