No forewarning of this decision with the rationale for it. No mention of the future plans - early retirement? IDK. Roderick

I’d loose you if I wrote down all the waffling and counter planning and agonizing and flip flopping. 

We’ve been mulling over retirement for years, making supporting decisions along the way. A year and a half ago we bought a house without a mortgage in a neighborhood that’s more social, though it had a more inconvenient commute to work.

Financially, for about the past year, we knew we could afford to retire. 

Even then much fear, uncertainty and doubt kept us from pulling the trigger. I am at my peak earning years in an industry that does not appreciate older employees. The decision would be one way. If we made any mistakes, we’d have to pay out of our pockets.

The politics of the current administration don't help either.

There has also been poking and prodding in the direction of retirement. 

My family, many of whom are proud of being frugal (cheap?) like to show off how little they need to live happily. Last summer, an uncle asked point blank “When are you retiring? Your body isn’t getting any younger.” He pointed out how other relatives kept busy through travel, engaging in local politics or other jobs. 

Another friend who retired years ago from the corporate life reminded us that our companies have kept us on a hedonic treadmill of bonuses, promotions and achievements. It’s addictive, but there is life afterwards. We could enjoy life without a career: 

My husband and I discussed many variations of retirement. Perhaps he could retire before me, just in case something went wrong and we needed the money or insurance. We tried a few trips where he vacationed, while I worked. He didn’t enjoy that. He wanted me to be free to join him. 

December— My friend Evan, who is my age, had an emergency surgery to remove an aneurysm. It reminding me to not take my time or health for granted. 

Most recently, there is so much chaos at work that I’ve lost energy and interest. I'd look for another job even if retirement weren't an option.

And so, we pulled the trigger. 

The plans are still open. We are going to travel a bit with my father. I want to spent more time exercising and enjoying the great out doors. After that, things are vague which I'm looking forward to. Because of my job, I've had a cell phone within arms reach, almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for over a decade. I want to unplug for a while, not have an stuffed calendar where I have to collaborate with those in timezones all over the world.