micro:
Re: “You have accomplished what MANY aspire to do and you did so in a pretty short time period.”
Yep. I retired before death. If I put off New Hampshire for much longer, I don't think I'd have made it!
In all seriousness, I consider myself fortunate to be in a position to do exactly what I want to do while I'm still young enough to enjoy it. It seems to me that most folks never even figure out what it is that they want, much less achieve it. I've known too many people over the years who either died without retiring, died shortly after, or retired but, for whatever reason, never pursued the dreams they had when they were younger.
I remember that when my parents moved to California following my father's retirement from the Air Force, my Mom wanted to live on acreage in the hills up around Auburn. They could have done it, too, but they decided instead on Sacramento suburbs. Jobs were more easily had, and they needed to keep working. After another 20 years or so, they both retired from the USPS and STILL didn't move into the hills. Too set in their ways by then, I guess.
Life is short. I figure I've got maybe twenty really good years in me. Maybe less; maybe more. You never know. But this is what I worked for and I intend to make the most of it.
I appreciate the kind words.
My wife and I spent the day in Charlottesville touring condos. We came home and made an offer on one of them. We'll see how that goes.
Gold is $1,581/oz today. When it hits $2,000, it will be up 26.5%. Let's see how long that takes. - De 3/11/2013 - ANSWER: 7 Years, 5 Months