Quote:
Originally Posted by Ragtop262
I'm fortunate that I did quite a few of the things I wanted to do earlier in life. My father had a lot of plans for retirement, but he became ill and was able to do very little by the time he retired. One of the last things he told me was "do the things you want to do early in life, because you may not be able to once you retire." Truly words to live by.
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I'd like to think my dad told me the same, but he did so from the grave. He died when he only 42, and when I was getting ready to turn his age, I quit my job. I spent several years kicking back, traveling, golfing (he was a fanatic) and just enjoying life. I almost felt like I could hear him egging me on.
And then right when the funds were running low, and I needed to get serious about getting back to work, the SFN hit. What timing. I was scared to death for all kinds of reasons, which of course just made my symptoms all the worse.
Having come to grips with it and accepting that this will likely be with me for the rest of my life, I take a lot of comfort in having lived the life I have and am very grateful. I'm back to work full-time now, and will work as long as I can knowing that my mid-career sabbatical was effectively my "healthy retirement."
Interestingly, I find myself enjoying the simpler things in life now, and don't lament not feeling like traveling or being on the go all the time. I guess I've become comfortable in my discomfort.