The best year of my life

[Cantwaitanylonger]

It is great to hear from those that are retired, telling that they are now living their best years. Work just seems like such a grind, meaningless and never ending. I hate to wish time away but I can't wait for my retirement to come.

 

[MRG]

There were a lot of great younger years. Building a life and career on nothing was special.

Probably the best to date was 2015-2016, post retirement. Started off pretty crappy with my c-spine blowing in February. In May I developed tachycardia and that scared the crap outa me. Caused a big change in eating and exercise. Somehow I'm grateful because it was the wake up I needed.

Amazing year for DW and I, both losing a lot of weight. I had cataract surgery that fall and had gone off all my medications, with my PCP's support, prior to surgery.

The hospital I was having surgery at was part of the same hospital that treated me for tachycardia, 5 months prior. When the pre-surgery nurse called she was trying to identify me via medical information. She was quite sure I was not the same guy!

I finally told her all the medications I took 5 months prior, and my old weight....why I'd seen them.

It was the best year of life physically and mentally. We had a great time shocking people who had seen both of us obese suddenly seeing the new improved versions. It was life changing in many ways. One that sounds stupid today, is judging the size of where you can walk through. It took a long time before I'd just walk between obstacles. I didn't think I'd fit.

 

[Gunny]

There have been some really awesome years. Senior year of HS playing for the state championship, hosting a student from France, graduating and heading off to play college football. But if I had to pick one 12 month period it would have to be Sept 1991 to Sept 1992. Just before leaving for Okinawa for a 12 month tour I witnessed first hand a SDSU freshman named Marshall Faulk come into the game for the injured starter and rush for 386 yards. I got to Okinawa where I hooked up with my boot camp buddy and started scuba diving. I was a tin bender and got to work on some incredible aircraft. Soon after getting there I had to go qualify on the rifle range. While cleaning my M-16A2 after qualifying I met a fellow Lance Corporal who I will be celebrating 25 years of marriage with come March 26th. I left that island with over 120 dives under my belt, a future DW and a future tax deduction who is himself a proud successful Marine. That year was a huge turning point and kicked off the 2nd half of my current 52 years on this planet.

As I began reading this thread I too was thinking that my year on Okinawa (92-93) was one of my best. I was the Company Gunny as a Staff Sergeant (only Marines would understand the significance of this) which allowed my more clout than I would otherwise have. It was the first year that my wife and I lived together. She too was a Marine and our first year of marriage was spent apart. Our apartment was nearby our favorite local bar and could fit into my current living room, but we hosted beer bashes and BBQs a lot of weekends. She learned to SCUBA (I was already a PADI Dive Master.). We bought an old van and converted into a camper and we spent many weekends in the northern part of the island camping and diving. We ate good sushi and bought a kick ass stereo system during the annual PX stereo sale. And, we saved 12k that year. We returned to the States and bought our first house.

 

[grasshopper]

Since I make my own day happen, I loved them all. 2017 is really at the top. A small ship cruise to Costa Rica/ Panama. A San Francisco/ Marin Highlands/ Point Reyes walking trip. And another small ship cruise in the Sea of Cortez.

 

[target2019]

The year to follow will be the best year for me. Much too difficult to look back and pick just one year as the best. But I should think on this a bit.

I know my bucket list is pretty complete, even though I never made one. What do I mean by that? A few years back someone who retired before 50, on another forum, posted his bucket list. Seems we had done the vast majority of those things already.

Our trip to Europe in 1999 was pretty spectacular. Camping/travelling throughout Aus/NZ with son in 2013 was also a high point. Recent Vienna trip (2016) came at a time when I felt the race was won. Because we spent a long week there with EU friends, we had long talks about the past and future as we walked on the streets.

Here's to the future!

 

[HighOnLife]

I've given this a lot of thought, and at 36 I'd have to say that, with a few exceptions, each year has been approximately my best year yet. Not that it has all been smooth sailing. It has been like the stock market--up and down, but the overall trend is up. I have reached a few peaks of self-development and then surprisingly changed course, lived overseas a few times, overall getting stronger and more seasoned along the way.

A number of these posts mention "experiences with women" as factoring in to your best years. Having grown up extremely religious, I never sowed my wild oats, but instead just worked really hard and was pressured into an early marriage. Turns out it was all lies except for the hard work, and when my wife left it was a financial disaster. But getting such destructive and toxic people out of my life has been a big improvement longer term. I now find peace staying away from it all (since others are calling it out: women), in pursuit of health and self-improvement, and it is making life much more rewarding every single day. In fact I am fairly confident this will be my best year yet.

 

[FreeBear]

I'm surprised that only a few seemed to pick a year in retirement. Seems like most the glory days were around college age or just afterwards. Too many hard knocks for me in those days, just lucky to have survived...

2005 was the best because I finally met my future DW. 2015 was the second best day of my life because I had both time and money to enjoy with my DW, the love of my life. 2017 is a runner up because the w*rk nighmares receded, I worried about money less, and DW and I really started living like a retirees.