Life before FIRE

[msbearkeley]

Been on travel for work the past two days so I had some quality time in my hotel room surfing the net 'planning for Life after FIRE' (less than 8 months away)...then, it dawned on me that instead of planning so much for what I can do when I retire, I should really appreciate the things I am able to do /can do now, even if I am not yet FIRE.

I couldn't find a thread so starting one...for other dreamers out there (or recently FIREd), how are you enjoying life today?

For me, glad I can travel for work and have the opportunity to check 'Mardi Gras' off my bucket list this year. Also glad to spend quality (not yet on the quantity) of time with family and prioritize what is important to us (take mini trips until we can experience the nomadic life when we FIRE).

Life is short....so how are you living it today?


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Arif]

I work for myself and carve out a little time to go driving on Wednesdays. There is an amazing stretch of road not too far from my house. I don't think about anything but the next turn coming up. It takes about an hour and it's something I look forward to each week.

This photo was taken in NC at the Tail of the Dragon.

 

[iam21177]

Life is short....so how are you living it today?

Great idea for a post! We need to make sure life is enjoyable now as well!

Husband and I don't have kids, so one might think we have a lot of free time (as our families members have thought out loud). However we find we are so strapped for time with all that we have chosen to do. Volunteer efforts take up a good chunk. He's involved with a winter recreation non profit group, I'm involved with an animal rescue non profit group (and we cross over into each other's when needed). We each head up several fundraiser events for these groups on top of other roles. I guess at some level we enjoy it (or wouldn't be doing it), but it also uses a lot of energy.

In effort to do things for ourselves, we have many outdoor hobbies! Backcountry skiing, cross country skiing, ultra trail running (my husband does 100 milers, I'm just starting out though), mountain biking - not just for weekends, we fit this stuff into a regular work week up to 5 days a week. It seems like we're always in training for an event or just general fitness upkeep. I make sure we eat good food at home too to fuel our bodies.

Then trips! We love our trips. Every New Year's Day we write out our "tick list" for the year filling in trip ideas for every month (mainly like a big wish list). So far we have a ski race event in March out of town, Moab for biking/running in March, April visit home, April a week long canoe/camping trip in the desert, May house guests, May trail running event out of town, June weekend climbing trip, July visit home, July Orcas Island trip, August climbing trip, August backpacking trip, August trail running event out of town, August anniversary trip (which involved canoe, tent and hiking usually), September Idaho canoe/camping trip, November California wedding trip/backpacking Sierras. I really enjoy the planning aspect of trips as much as going on the trips. Canoe camping trips are something we can do with our 11 year old dog as a family.

We do camp for many of these adventures, so these aren't cruise/foreign country kind of vacations (and why we can do so many of them). Historically, we spend ~$3500/year on all these trips. Includes plane tickets when we fly and gas when we drive. Last summer we were gone on fun trips for 8 weekends in a row, and yet somehow still working a normal work week!

Yes, we're pretty exhausted most of the time. I think I got more tired just re-reading all that! Some days I wish we had a condo with no yard to take care of. BUt alas, we have choices in all that we do, so for now I'll enjoy this this life we have created and look forward to when jobs can be removed from the equation!

 

[nash031]

I recently started commuting via bicycle twice or so a week. I ride anyway as a triathlete, and this has helped me incorporate doing something I enjoy into my daily commute. The days where I ride to/from work make work that much more manageable. I no longer stress out about getting home in time to get on my bike, because I'm getting on my bike to get home.

It's amazing the transition this has caused in my view on work... instead of participating in the rat race, I feel like I'm living a little bit more from the simple act of getting on my bike (and speeding past all the suckers stuck in traffic!). I look forward to doing this more over the course of the next four working years...

Plus it helps the LBYM effort since I buy gas one less time per month.

 

[Ally]

I am on my last 3 months, so most of what I'm doing at work is preparing to hand off my job to someone else. It's not fun right now, but to compensate for that, I got to spend the weekend with my 5 grandchildren and they were wonderful! I can't wait to spend more time with them.

 

[jjquantz]

I recently started commuting via bicycle twice or so a week. I ride anyway as a triathlete, and this has helped me incorporate doing something I enjoy into my daily commute. The days where I ride to/from work make work that much more manageable. I no longer stress out about getting home in time to get on my bike, because I'm getting on my bike to get home.

It's amazing the transition this has caused in my view on work... instead of participating in the rat race, I feel like I'm living a little bit more from the simple act of getting on my bike (and speeding past all the suckers stuck in traffic!). I look forward to doing this more over the course of the next four working years...

Plus it helps the LBYM effort since I buy gas one less time per month.

+1

OK, I've already retired, but commuting on my bike was one of the best things that I was ever able to do for myself while I was working. For all the reasons given above.

 

[travelover]

Too late for me - I'm already retired. Just one more miserable day after another.