As I mentioned in my last post, a tease I called it, I do have plans to do many things in the next couple years all wrapped around my retiring next year.
It’s been a very difficult thing for me to accept and I know that for some, it’s hard for them to understand how retiring could be a difficult thing. For some, maybe, not for me, it’s been a difficult journey to acceptance.
Understand that as an American male Baby Boomer, we were taught by our Silent Generation parents to work hard. Remember, my parents’, in their lives went through the Great Depression as well as WWII, so they knew hardship. They definitely did not want us to experience the financial hardships that they’d seen.
So, when I was younger, if you were male, you went to school for some that included College for others they went into a trade but whichever route you took, the expectation was that you’d work hard, get married, buy a house, etc., etc. Most of all, you would save for tough times, be prepared. What they didn’t tell you was when you had kids, all the saving part got much more difficult.
So, like a Kentucky thoroughbred that had been trained to run, we were trained to work and I (we) did. Often gone too much and for too long, many times distracted and probably neglectful at home. But we were doing what we thought we were supposed to do.
Suddenly, or so it seemed to me, I was contemplating retirement. I felt and still feel selfish thinking about not working, it’s an alien concept. After all, I started working officially, where I was taxed and paid Social Security, when I was 14 and I worked mowing yards, bailing hay or something else probably since I was 8.
How could I just stop? How can I on Friday be at work and on Monday, not? How does one just turn that off? I have friends that have very successfully done this, and they’ve managed to enjoy themselves and stay busy, I expect that I will too.
There’s also the financial security that working brings, now, you’re on your own and you hope that you’ve saved, invested and planned properly. My luck, some financial planner will stumble across this and I’ll be inundated with solicitations with offers to help, for a fee.
So now, I wasted your time explaining my retirement angst all of which changes nothing so as I’ve thought about it over these many months, if I’m going to do this, there’s no point in agonizing over it and boring my friends to tears.
Years ago, I took skydiving lessons. As a SCUBA Instructor and diver, you have to trust your training and equipment. The difference between the two are that gravity is real. I’ve done swimming assents from over 60 feet, and I could probably could have made it from deeper in a pinch.
I told a friend about stepping up to the door on the plane the first time you’re not jumping tandem. At some point, you must trust that you’ve prepared and that your equipment is good and push out of the plane. So, late next year, I’ll be pushing out.
Hopefully, that will free me up to pursue other more exciting (in a good way) things that I’ve wanted to do but never had the time because suddenly, time won’t be an impediment anymore.
On a positive note, I’m healthy, adventurous, willing, and hopefully in a financial situation that will allow me to enjoy my retirement and contribute in some meaningful way during that time.
Finally, why this in a blog that started out about the Camino? Because for some of us, life is the Camino. We’re all on the Way.