Almost 1 Year to Go Until I retire!!!!

[Bubba_s]

I'll be a grandpa this coming December, so there's that too. My son's wife is from Austria. I came within a whisper of losing him to an ocean between us. The fact that The Universe changed circumstances and kept him not only here, but near, matters to me too. He bought a house 10 minutes from me. Nobody ever said from their deathbed "if only I'd worked more".
As I type this I realize I'm making this decision much harder than it needs to be.
Thank you for this thread, Lefty.

The Austria thing gave me a chuckle. My wife's father was from Austria. I'm glad he made it here so I could meet one of his daughters

Thanks Andreas!! (An amazing man that I miss often.)

 

[Mike95060]

I had a friend that did all the right things headed for retirement. Already retired from national guard so medical and I'm sure some kind of retirement $ from 20 plus years in the reserves. House paid for and had a nest egg that would carry him and his wife comfortably in retirement. Then at 55 kidney cancer took him out Work on that bucket list while you can!

Sounds a lot like a guy I used to work for. He was a Press man for the Santa Cruz Sentinel back when the paper was actually printed in Santa Cruz. He and his wife I owned and operated the burger joint I worked at. Scotty would run the Press at night during the week and deep clean his restaurant on the weekends. He was a hard working, fair and generally fun guy to be around, living the American dream with a business and a family and a community he enjoyed. Cancer took him about two years after he retired from the Printing press. It's always stuck in my head as rotten and unfair.

Definitely examine your priorities often. "Now" is as close as we are going to get to a promised tomorrow.

I'm glad your stoked for the next chapter lefty. Hope, anticipation and excitement are great things to feel.

 

[ST Guy]

A friend's wife worked 911 dispatch. She had a heart attack and passed away while on the job. I can't imagine the stress you guys deal with.

Yes, I know it can be stressful. I have a very close friend who has worked in ambulances as a paramedic. He then spent some time running a Sonoma county ambulance company. Then he worked on the sheriff’s helicopter jumping into the ocean and doing many other dangerous rescues. He then finished his career as a Sonoma county dispatcher until one day he got a phone call that triggered his PTSD. He’s now happily retired.

 

[ST Guy]

I retired about 6 years ago. It was a gradual process, beginning with starting my engineering consulting business. About that time my wife was diagnosed with Alzheimers. My daily work gradually changed from my business to taking care of my wife as her Alzheimers progressed. When she finally died, I realized that I was now fully retired. Then, seven months later, I had my stroke.

Just when you think you’ve got your life figured out and back on track, it throws you a massive curve ball. And all you can do is go with the flow.

 

[augustiron]

My plan has always been the same

Don't ever have a plan

Ymmv

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Hey that sounds like my plan!

 

[lefty]

I'm very lucky in that my wife likes the non-stressed out, happy-go-lucky version of me much better.
On the rare occasions I mention maybe going back to work, she says "No! No, you're not!"

I like your Wife!!!!! That is awesome. I think that my Wife would be the same way.

 

[lefty]

I really LOVE reading your posts. My Wife is a couple of years younger than me, so she said that she will retire two years after I do. That may be hard for me because she and I hike together (with the dogs) every weekend). I'm going to miss not having her to hike with on the weekdays too. I may have to get a "weekday Wife" to fill in for her, until she retires!!!!!!

Ant, to the White Courtesy phone.