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Explore turning points, everyday joys and unexpected challenges after financial independence or retirement, with the date and original source for each account.

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481–490 of 541 posts

A travel fund makes room to enjoy retirement

Oct 2017 · Year 2Interview snapshot · published 2017

Life at the time

  • Two years after retirement, the couple took frequent trips and spent substantial time at their mountain cabin.

How it felt

  • Keeping a separate travel fund helped him enjoy spending on experiences. “fun to figure out how to spend it.”

Teaching stayed; the career’s daily stress did not

Oct 2017

Life at the time

  • Taught university classes, prepared material at home and wrote books and blog posts.
  • Exercised daily and fitted water-sport weekends around her husband’s work.

How it felt

  • Loved the January and summer breaks. “I sure love my Januarys”
  • Felt teaching remained a sustainable passion, despite being only partly retired. “a passion I can sustain”

She recovered her sleep and good mood. A bigger purpose could wait.

Oct 2017Recalled in 2019

Life at the time

  • Long sleeps, bread baking and weekday shopping filled the first months.
  • Gym visits and holidays became easier to arrange.

How it felt

  • The change initially felt like a holiday. “it felt like a vacation”
  • Freedom brought immediate enjoyment after an unhappy job. “It was great!”

He stopped accepting the old calendar. A decade later, that was still the prize.

Aug 2017 · Year 1

Life at the time

  • Built a rhythm around exercise, home projects and family visits.
  • Left a volunteer role that was not a good fit.

How it felt

  • Felt more relaxed and less bound to appointments. “I’ve hit my full stage of relaxation”
  • Liked being able to leave unfinished tasks for another day. “Then again, I have plenty of time tomorrow for tasks.”

A part-time library and a new circle of colleagues

Jun 2017

Life at the time

  • Worked part-time in a county law library after an initial eighteen-month pause.
  • Lived in Florida while his wife continued full-time work.

How it felt

  • Found the early-retirement journey gratifying. “most gratifying”
  • Valued the purpose and extra income from part-time work. “a sense of purpose”

It took a year to believe the vacation would not end.

May 2017Recalled in 2023

Life at the time

  • The final departure followed another seventeen months of work.
  • His wife adjusted more quickly, drawing on an earlier career break.

How it felt

  • Freedom was exciting but initially felt temporary. “super exhilarating”
  • Unwinding took him a year or more. “didn’t seem real”

Parental leave opened into a family-centered retirement

Mar 2017

Life at the time

  • Most days centered on caring for his one-year-old.
  • Photography and chess fit around family responsibilities.

How it felt

  • He felt healthier and enjoyed unhurried family mornings. “immensely better”
  • He missed some workplace friendships. “good friends”

The bucket list did not run itself. Neither did the friendships.

Mar 2017

Life at the time

  • Compared the retirement activities he had imagined with those he actually pursued.
  • Traveled and enjoyed entertainment while leaving some proposed hobbies untouched.

How it felt

  • Found the calendar full without completing every original idea. “I’m too busy right now.”
  • Discovered that boating involved more effort than the couple wanted. “more work than we wanted”

Redundancy gave way to a life she enjoyed more than expected

Feb 2017

Life at the time

  • Visited Melbourne, saw a film and unexpectedly met blogging friends.
  • Read quietly in a historic home’s garden amid the busy city.

How it felt

  • Enjoyed forced retirement more than she had expected. “more than I thought possible”
  • Felt relaxed after the previous year’s difficult transition. “happy, relaxed”

Learning to retire, then learning to leave a beloved project

Jan 2017

Life at the time

  • Travel and time with friends, family and grandchildren filled many weeks.
  • She and her husband had relocated to Vancouver Island.

How it felt

  • Quiet gaps made her question whether she needed a stronger routine. “Am I still transitioning?”
  • She preferred to keep experimenting rather than declare the transition finished. “keep experimenting”

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