This past Saturday marked an amazing 8 years since I told my boss I was quitting for a life of early retirement. As my wife often says, “the days & weeks are sometimes slow, but the months and years fly by.”
Related: FIRE Milestones – Formal Resignation Notice
This weekend, as I contemplated where those 8 years went, I thought about the many blessings that filled the hours of so many carefree days. It’s like I doubled the living of my life over that time.
Doubled? Yes. Outside of sleeping every night for ~8 hours, we have 112 hours in our weeks. Including commuting time to MegaCorp, I ‘sold’ about 60 of those hours to work and only had 52 of my own to goof-off (mostly on weekends).
Freed from work through FIRE (financial independence & retired early), I’ve enjoyed 2.1x the hours I had before (112/52 hours). Time with family/friends, time to travel, time to learn, and time to do everything else I’ve ever wanted to do.
Yes, I’ve gotten 8 years older – I’ll be 58 this year – but I really feel like I’ve doubled my life experiences since my FIRE escape. (And gotten a few extra naps in, too!).
How fare are you from retirement? Or, how far into retirement are you? Have you been happy with what you’ve spent your extra hours on?
Image: Pixabay
MrFireStation 
I would estimate free available time is much higher than double. Worked long hours and the rest of the time was spent taking kids to and from school, athletic events, and coaching. My wife and I have been layering on new activities.
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Yes – parenting takes a lot of hours up, too. Many of our parents are becoming first-time grandparents right now. That seems a lot more enjoyable!
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