My Fifth Year of Early Retirement

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Is early retirement as great five years in as it is the first year? That first few months of FIRE may feel incredibly freeing, but some worry about boredom. Some worry about staying too busy. Fussing over the extremes.

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I’ve reached my fifth year in early retirement! I continue to be incredibly grateful that I discovered the FIRE movement in February 2017 and was able to retire that same year. Five years has passed by so quickly, and yet it seems like a lifetime ago when I was a full-time teacher.

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The Project of the Month

Part of retirement is understanding how I like to use my time. I’ve realized I like to be “project-based.” I don’t always foresee what project I will have in any upcoming month, but I’ve found that for most months, a project will present itself to me even if I don’t actively seek out a project. These projects are a way to focus my energy and keep me occupied when I’m not traveling.

We love to travel, and now we can spend more time in each place we visit. We appreciate being able to travel to these amazing places: – National Parks in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona – October 2021 – Big Bend, Texas – January 2022 – etc.

Being early retired doesn’t mean all my negative feelings have gone away. It just means I have more time to deal with them, thankfully. I dealt with a lot of anxiety this year due to COVID, but ironically, when we did catch COVID in April, I was fairly calm.

Adding to my anxiety are the many issues America is facing — with voter suppression, abortion, gun control, social injustice, economic inequality, climate change, healthcare, LGBTQ rights, education, politics, and prejudice in all its forms — the list goes on and on.

I have always believed in keeping stress levels low and getting rest, which wasn’t always easy as a teacher. “Being busy” is not something I glamorize or wear as a badge of honor. When I retired, I made it a point to not have a schedule that overwhelmed me.

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My Fifth Year of Early Retirement

Is early retirement as great five years in as it is the first year? That first few months of FIRE may feel incredibly freeing, but some worry about boredom. Some worry about staying too busy. Fussing over the extremes.

I’ve reached my fifth year in early retirement! I continue to be incredibly grateful that I discovered the FIRE movement in February 2017 and was able to retire that same year. Five years has passed by so quickly, and yet it seems like a lifetime ago when I was a full-time teacher.

The Project of the Month

We love to travel, and now we can spend more time in each place we visit. We appreciate being able to travel to these amazing places: – National Parks in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona – October 2021 – Big Bend, Texas – January 2022 – etc.

Fun Travel

Being early retired doesn’t mean all my negative feelings have gone away. It just means I have more time to deal with them, thankfully. I dealt with a lot of anxiety this year due to COVID, but ironically, when we did catch COVID in April, I was fairly calm.

Dealing with Anxiety

Adding to my anxiety are the many issues America is facing — with voter suppression, abortion, gun control, social injustice, economic inequality, climate change, healthcare, LGBTQ rights, education, politics, and prejudice in all its forms — the list goes on and on.

I have always believed in keeping stress levels low and getting rest, which wasn’t always easy as a teacher. “Being busy” is not something I glamorize or wear as a badge of honor. When I retired, I made it a point to not have a schedule that overwhelmed me.

Being Lazy

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