I haven't blogged in a while. I let Facebook serve as a substitute. I've been kicking this around in my head for about three weeks now. There was one option to begin my blog again when I turned 66. Or when I hit the 36 month mark before retirement. And then there were just no excuses anymore. If I'm going to start it then, why not now? So there you have it. My goal is to say something useful once a week. Useful to me or to friends or to strangers. If not useful, maybe interesting or insightful.
First subject: How and when to retire and why.
How: As with most people, I cannot retire until I can afford it. It's amazing to me how many people of my generation will never be able to afford this luxury. There's a level of fear and sadness and even despair people express when they acknowledge that they're in their mid sixties and do not have the wherewithal to retire, nor do they have a manageable path to retirement. So they will work until they can't anymore. If I think about winning the lottery, I think about helping them. That's what I'd do with the money. In lieu of that, I hope things aren't as bad as they think. Life has a way of working itself out. As for me, I have three sources of permanent income once I retire, plus my retirement account. I also have three years of triple income that will help me pay all my debts before my last day at work. No car payments. No credit card payments. No house payments. Nada. I'm going to be ok. Oh, I won't be wealthy, but I won't be poor, either.
When: I know this already. September of 2018. That's the time I need to get financially healthy. I also need some time to prepare myself mentally for retirement. There are plans to make. Commitments. I need to be relevant, useful, and functional. I have so many options. Road trips to Maine, to Canada, to Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. To Yellowstone and Bryce Canyon and the Everglades. I want to see these places because they've long been a part of my psyche, either because of books or pictures or movies. I need to see them for myself. There is the problem of friends. There are people at work I love and will miss, but I'm determined to make a clean break. I will not be a person who makes "guest" appearances from time to time. I will miss them all, and can meet some of them for lunch on Fridays or weekends, or we can keep in touch on Facebook.
I want to play a role in politics. I don't have the energy or money to run for office, but I can help people who do. I'm sure future blogs will deal with political subjects, because that is my nature.
Perhaps most important of all, I need to explore spirituality. I have pretty much let go of organized religions - all of them. But I have not worked out exactly what beliefs and morals I want to put in that place.
One other topic to explore: what has my existence meant? How do I find a proper perspective? This is actually not necessary. I will walk off this Earth at a time and place not in my control. If I have time to make sense of this life, well, fine. If not, so what?
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