Early Retirement 10th Anniversary reflections from Mrs. Fire Station … 

It’s been 10 years since I piped in on this blog of my husband’s.  When we were having lunch in Washington DC a few weeks ago, he asked me to reflect on my thoughts on the 10 years since we both retired.  

Related: The Better Half / Thoughts From Mrs. Fire Station

I’ll admit that when he retired from his MegaCorp executive career, I was a bit nervous.  I knew that we were pretty well-prepared financially, but I wasn’t as sure about the lifestyle adjustment.  I wondered if he would get bored, miss the status of his job, or struggle without going to work everyday.  

What actually happened surprised me.  It turns out, he’s quite good at being retired. If anything, he is busier now than when he worked full-time. I always tell people that he is busier than anyone that I know!  There has never been a phase of either of us being bored, moping around the house, or searching for something to do. I say that retirement didn’t slow him down – it might have given him more energy!

I also worried that he would miss his professional challenges and regret quitting early.  That never became an issue. He closed that chapter without regret and seemed genuinely comfortable leaving titles and corporate excitement behind. 

Financially, we have been far more blessed than we expected when we first made the decision. Our situation has turned out stronger than the projections we carefully built years ago, which has allowed us to relax and enjoy life rather than constantly worry about money.

Perhaps the greatest gift has been time together. We have traveled more than we ever could during his career, taking trips without rushing through vacation days. We also spend part of each year snowbirding at our Florida condominium, a place that has become one of my favorite parts of retirement life. 

Looking back after ten years, early retirement didn’t shrink our world – it expanded it, giving us experiences and shared memories we might not have otherwise enjoyed. Cheers!

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