afterFI/RE Life after FI/RE
People
Selected life timeline 2017—2019

An empty calendar felt directionless. Useful commitments gradually brought him back.

After a second career on oil rigs, he struggled with open days while his wife still taught. Exercise, local service and small consulting assignments gradually supplied direction, though company remained harder to find.

Finances
Investments at retirement2017 · Household
$900,000

Net investable assets at the 2017 departure; excludes the home. A pension, consulting income and his working wife’s salary also supported the household.

Source
Posts2
2017
Post 01Recalled in 2019

Eighteen directionless months

“rudderless ship”

ESI Retiree 12Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Household chores expanded to fill the day.
  • Food-bank volunteering did not provide the engagement he expected.

How it felt

  • He felt directionless during the first eighteen months. “rudderless ship”
  • Having a working spouse added self-imposed pressure to be useful. “Felt guilty”
PurposeRoutineFriends
ESI Retiree 12 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Earlier period recalled in the account published 2019-06-07; this is not a separately published contemporary update. The earlier year is approximate.

Retirement life / personal reflection; exact short excerpt: rudderless ship

Retirement life / personal reflection; exact short excerpt: Felt guilty

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. The original contains the full story.

2019Year 2
Post 02

Finding commitments that fit

“I’m still alone quite a bit.”

ESI Retiree 12Read original post (opens in a new tab)

Life at the time

  • Local committees, triathlon training and beekeeping supplied variety.
  • Occasional consulting and ski instruction retained useful skills.

How it felt

  • Experimenting helped him find activities that fit. “things began to click”
  • He still spent more time alone than he wanted. “I’m still alone quite a bit.”
PurposeRoutineFriends
ESI Retiree 12 (opens in a new tab)
Notes

Dated first-person reflection; the observation date follows the interview month where stated, which can precede publication.

Retirement life / personal reflection; exact short excerpt: things began to click

Retirement life / personal reflection; exact short excerpt: I’m still alone quite a bit.

Retirement overview and reported duration.

Editorial summaries with short, attributed quotations. The original contains the full story.

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Local committees, triathlon training and beekeeping supplied variety. Occasional consulting and ski instruction retained useful skills. Experimenting helped him find activities that fit. He still spent more time alone than he wanted.

Research

Last checked Sep 2026. The accounts are self-reported. This timeline follows selected accounts, including recollections where labeled; it is not a complete archive.

  • These are selected first-person accounts, not a complete life history. Later circumstances may differ.
  • Financial figures and household circumstances are self-reported and are not independently verified.
  • The first moment is a retrospective account of an earlier period, except where explicitly identified as a reproduced journal entry.
  • An exact age at final departure was not established; an age reported later is not substituted.

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