I couldn’t have predicted where I am today when I retired one year ago. MsFinancialLiteracy and I welcomed our second child into the world recently.
The arrival of our son is by far our biggest change over the past year. Despite having been through the newborn phase before, I’m still surprised by how needy a brand new human is. How did we do this once before when I had to return to work just two weeks after our daughter was born? How do other parents manage where both return to work shortly after their baby is born? How do single parent families manage the great needs of a newborn while simultaneously working?
I’m very thankful that I live in the US and that early retirement before my second child was born was possible for me. I recognize that there are many regions of the world where this possibility would be close to non-existent.
The First Couple Months
Monday September 11, 2017 was somber as usual, but the day had an extra peculiar dimension for me. Most everyone else went off to work. I, for the first time in 16 years, had nowhere I had to be and nothing I had to do. I remember feeling strange, a bit like an outcast, and a little bit lost. The first two months of early retirement definitely qualified as a period of “work detox”. My days lacked structure and, quite frankly, I wanted them that way. My own little mini rebellion to create a stark contrast to the way my working days were.
The following ten months, I’ve been busier than I ever was while working. I had to start using Google calendar to track all of the events, meetings, and things I wanted to get done. I have met so many interesting people during this time. My networking opportunities would be far fewer and further between if I was still working in the field of software engineering.
My Opportunities Multiply
Other opportunities have also increased. I’ve spoken to high school classes about early retirement using a presentation of my own design. I’ve volunteered with Junior Achievement to teach third graders about financial literacy. I’ve taught financial literacy to adults through volunteering with the Financial Literacy Coalition of Central Texas. I’ve connected with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and will be participating in their Out of the Darkness walks.
I’m mentoring two students through a scholarship program I’ve created at the high school I attended. These two individuals are full of great ideas and have warm hearts. Having met with both several times now only increases my optimism about the future of our society.
I’ve replaced the flooring in the upstairs of our house by removing carpeting and installing laminate flooring. This allowed me to finally make use of the skills I learned in my middle school shop class. I’ve worked with clients as a financial and early retirement coach.
I’ve read several books in the last year:
- Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
- Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s
- How Soon Is Now
- The Story of My Experiments With Truth
- The Influential Mind
- A Force For Good: The Dalai Lama’s Vision For Our World
- The Deltium: A Story of Humanocracy
- Raising Can Do Kids
- Teach Like A Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College
- The Autobiography of MLK Jr.
I’ve made some new friends and played board games I’d not tried before. I’ve sampled the services from various different religions to increase my knowledge of the world’s religions. I’ve increased my vocabulary in Mandarin. We’re teaching our children Mandarin as their primary language. I’ve attended several Toastmasters meetings to practice my public speaking ability, network, and hear others speak.
I’ve attended several school board meetings and served in a leadership role on a citizen’s bond committee. I began campaigning to run for a school board of trustees position, but ultimately decided that the timing wasn’t right for my family with the arrival of our second child and a November election.
Travel and My Joy of Early Retirement
We’ve traveled — a lot. Two weeks to southern France. Four weeks in San Francisco, Seattle, northern Washington, and Vancouver. We’ve had several other multi-week trips to San Francisco. I hiked a mountain in the San Francisco Bay Area to raise awareness and money for The Hunger Project.
The freedom which an early retirement has enabled is immensely satisfying. The result is different that what I had envisioned in my mind primarily because I’ve changed. I feel the large diversity of activities has justified the consistent decisions I made throughout my 20s and 30s. Now that I’ve freed myself from myself, I’d like to help others achieve the same sooner rather than later.
I wish you and your family prosperous, long lives,
Trip Seibold 子兴
How do envision your first year of retirement would go? What types of activities would you involve yourself in?
What would it take to help you reach retirement sooner? What types of changes would be most beneficial for you and your family?