It Happens So Quickly...

[daveshan]

Yep, between my wife and I we lost the last 3 of our living relatives in late '04 and '05. We took a good look at our situation (working in local government in So Cal), sold everything and retired to Durango CO in 2-06, never looked back. Now we're researching class As so we can travel together with our dogs. I've been doing the truck camper thing for the last few years but it's a bit small for all of us.

BTW I was 51 and she was 42, people said we were nuts to retire so early, turns out I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer in '09, so far so good and the future looks bright but it sure made us glad we took a chance when we did.

Best to all, and I hope the gentleman who was the reason this thread got started pulls through.

[REWahoo]

Originally Posted by RickO

Like many people, I had been contributing to 401K and stock purchase plans but didn't really "have a plan" for retirement and had no idea how feasible it would be. I just knew that I didn't want to keep spending 60 hours of every week I had left selling myself to the company.

....I gathered up all of my account statements and a laptop... threw them all in two brief cases and took DW and DD to Puerto Vallarta for two weeks to decompress and ponder/analyze our future. Three months later I was retired and haven't missed a single minute of the old job.

+1

Anyone reading this thread thinking "I wish I could do that" might want to take a look at the Early-Retirement.org forum. The posters there offered me a lot of support, provided great ideas and gave me the courage to pull the work plug six years ago at age 58. Best decision I ever made - oops, other than marrying my DW of 43 years, of course...

[wa8yxm]

One of the strange things is in my 25 years as a police dispatcher, often answering 9-1-1 calls the closest I ever came to a real medical emergency was about 10 feet (the call taker in front of me got the call, and promptly lost it.. thankfully another dispather took over for him and saved not only the day, but the child... I covered for her since she was on radio and her qualifications to take that call make me look... Unqualified (She was an EMS instructor, Just what the caller needed))

Since retiring I've had to give CPR instrucitons via cell phone while the person who's phone I was holding used mine to call for EMS (Speed dial on my phone, we were in the wrong city)

And I've had an alter attendent in church pass out in front of me. (She actualy had a condition I am SPECIFICALLY trained to treat if you can believe that.. I am "At risk" for the same condition) and a choir memeber faint into my arms (Another condition I'm at risk for, actually "Suffer from" but control.. She has it worse then me)

Yes, it happens suddenly.. Thank heavens for training. And thank you INSTRUCTORS!

[mr300ce]

Mom was a 'rocker' from Elvis on. She was the same age as Elvis, born and raised in Memphis, and knew him (a little). I was a Beatle maniac from the start (10yrs old). She liked some of the 'new' bands that I did, and we had lots of fun in the living room as she taught me to dance.

Well, just 2 weeks before she passed, I took her, along with grand & great-grand kids, to the local fair to see John Fogerty (he "was" Creedence Clearwater Band). We had a fantastic time.

After it was over, and we were walking along, she slowed way down.
I 1/2 jokingly said "are you having a heart attack ?? because if you are, I want you to know that you have been the best mom a son could have".

Little did I know that she was.

[decodancer]

I'll never forget how my father used to look forward to getting his first social security check. We celebrated with a trip to a casino and had a great time. He died just a few months later. I'm going fulltime in less than a year (I'm 50) and that's what I think of when friends tell me to wait. There will never be enough money and I want to live my dream while I'm healthy enough to enjoy it.

[mr300ce]

Originally Posted by decodancer

I'll never forget how my father used to look forward to getting his first social security check. We celebrated with a trip to a casino and had a great time. He died just a few months later. I'm going fulltime in less than a year (I'm 50) and that's what I think of when friends tell me to wait. There will never be enough money and I want to live my dream while I'm healthy enough to enjoy it.

RIGHT ON !!!! (said with a fisted right arm arm in the air !!!).

[geekyexplore]

Hearing all of these stories makes me think even more we are doing the right thing, even if it's not necessary career smart. We don't want to wait until retirement to do a lot of things like traveling because what if retirement never comes? And if we are lucky enough to see retirement - even better. I am sure we will never run out of fun & crazy things to do & see in this world. Thanks for sharing.

[AL]

Hi All,

First off my thoughts and prayers are with the man and family that this post was started about! Second I am happy to have been lucky enough to have been able to retire at 47 in 2007! After 25 years both as a Vol Firefighter and with a Sheriff's Officer, 15 of them I was in the Crime Scene Unit and day after day I saw folks for one reason or another who's lives have changed is a split second! 9-11-01 being part of it! Which made me say I can't wait till retirment to do stuff, I have to live and do things now! In 1995 I spent 6 weeks with wife and kids traveling this great country, and am glad I did! That trip will be with me forever in my mind & heart! After I retired my now ex wife said 47 was to young to just be bums and just wander, and it was not for her! So after being togeather for 33 years, she divorced me! So once again, I saw someones plans for life change in a split second!! However with all that said I am still happy to say I have not looked back and thought maybe I should have not retired, and I am still doing my best to make the most out of life, for we never know when it will be over!!

Remember All: LIVE, LAUGH & ENJOY!!!

Also Remember All: Pay it forward when we can!!!

[JMonroe]

I retired last summer, at 58, Peggy will retire next June 1st. Both of these dates were delayed due to the poor performance of our economy over the last decade, but we concluded that we just can't wait any longer. There's no guaranty of a tomorrow, we've already lost many of our contemporaries.

We just sold our beloved 'cabin' and I'll officially be full time as of Sept 1st. While I'm struggling with the sale of our beautiful home in the country, and the distribution of our possessions collected over the last 38 years, we're finally on the verge of realizing a dream we've held for a few decades. While we'll have to be more careful with finances than we'd hoped, many of our members have successfully demonstrated that it can be done, on far less than we'll have available.

Life's too short and uncertain. Get aggressive about pursuing your dreams. This is your one and only shot.

[bldrbob]

When we went to the Grand Canyon and saw people in wheelchairs we decided they waited too long I retired at 62,stopped working, not living.Even when working vacations were high on the priority list.

[Ray,IN]

This also brings out the importance of having more than one experienced RV driver. If/when that one driver has a heart attack(I've already had open heart surgery once)or another life-threatening event, who will drive the RV, and maintain it while the driver is incapacitated, or heaven forbid shipped back home in a casket?
I love to drive, my wife has requested many times to allow her to drive; I hesitate because she has had several mini-strokes and her nerves are on edge almost all the time. I will re-think my position and push myself to allow her to drive more often after reading this thread.

[RV'nOldTimer]

I have enjoyed reading the experiences of those of you who have retired or are planning to do so soon. My wife and I RV'ed before retiring and continued on after I retired 25 ears ago. We've enjoyed RVing in the 49 North America states, about half of the Mexican states and, until this year, all of the Canadian provinces except Newfoundland Labrador (not including the territories). So last year I made plans to do NL and signed up for a caravan there.

We just returned from this adventure ten days ago, tired but happy. We spent seven weeks away, traveling from Florida to Nova Scotia where we joined the caravan, four weeks in NL, using four ferries, and went as far north as Red Bay in Labrador. We went as a threesome, my wife and I and her sister who is a widow. I had each of them driving the first day and they contributed significantly on all the chores. We are proficient at hooking and unhooking the toad, setting up in camp and other needed traveling activities. We hiked, drove up Mt Washington, and participated in all caravan activities.

Oh yes. My sister-in-law is 78, my wife is 83 and I'm 82. I haven't decided what our next adventure will be.

JT

[JohnRR]

Originally Posted by RV'nOldTimer

Oh yes. My sister-in-law is 78, my wife is 83 and I'm 82. I haven't decided what our next adventure will be.

JT

My respects to all three of you

[RickO]

Originally Posted by JohnRR

My respects to all three of you

X10 !!!