Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
At what age or point in your life did it hit that it's time to start living? Everyday as we go out in the world we see young vibrant people and old people. Once we were young and now on the fast track to old. Hey with all things being as they should many will reach old age which brings along old age issues. Which is why I just don't get it when people look to retire in upper ages. Instead of a retirement date why not a freedom date? Work if you want to.
To me it's age 55. I'm sure many of us remember when 55 was the looked upon retirement age. Well now for many the retirement age is when health issues take people out of the work force or death. Here is something an old dude once told me that I never forgot. Once you have more years behind you than you have in front of you it's time to start living. He said middle age when looking at averages is about age 35. Looking at 55 is my oh snap moment. Next is 60, then 70, and past 70 only God knows.
Reality check. Maybe on average 15 years left on the planet? Wow. Time to start dating 25 year-olds.
It's when I started looking forward toward retirement and an eventual retirement move to a more desired location. As I was doing the calculations, I realized it made no sense to stick it out where we were for 10+ more years and we could just go ahead and make the move. It got us from AL to NM at ages 48/61 rather than ages 58/71. I'm not retired and won't be for a while, but we're already here and able to enjoy the climate, the country, the events . . .
50, with cancer diagnosis.
At 54, initial terror having subsided, it occurred to me that even without recurrence, I had more past than future.
Now, 69, still working, but consider myself free and am grateful for every new sunrise.
At what age or point in your life did it hit that it's time to start living? Everyday as we go out in the world we see young vibrant people and old people. Once we were young and now on the fast track to old. Hey with all things being as they should many will reach old age which brings along old age issues. Which is why I just don't get it when people look to retire in upper ages. Instead of a retirement date why not a freedom date? Work if you want to.
To me it's age 55. I'm sure many of us remember when 55 was the looked upon retirement age. Well now for many the retirement age is when health issues take people out of the work force or death. Here is something an old dude once told me that I never forgot. Once you have more years behind you than you have in front of you it's time to start living. He said middle age when looking at averages is about age 35. Looking at 55 is my oh snap moment. Next is 60, then 70, and past 70 only God knows.
Reality check. Maybe on average 15 years left on the planet? Wow. Time to start dating 25 year-olds.
The question which I took the liberty of bolding above is a terribly sick and twisted version of what ought to be reality, namely that we are always living. I never stopped living and so I did not need to "start" living. Here are some of the things I did in my spare time and vacation time while still working full time:
1. Enjoyed the life of the mind with extensive reading, reading not required by my job.
2. Enjoyed traveling.
3. Learned to fly private airplanes, probably the greatest adventure I will ever have.
4. Took up bicycling and became wonderfully fit - a joy in and of itself. Ex-wife and I rode from Seattle to Los Angeles.
5. Took up motorcycling after bicycling and had great adventures with that.
The above list does not even include the gratifying aspects of my full-time career itself. Sure, there were also frustrating and stressful aspects, but I look back with satisfaction on the contributions I was able to make.
Working is not separate from life, but is part of it. As Khalil Gibran wrote, "Work is love made visible".
I find it inexpressibly sad that some people seem to feel as if they will only start "living" when they retire. What a tragic waste of the better part of a lifetime.
"At what age or point in your life did it hit that it's time to start living?"
15. But I didn't really take action until I was a young mother and left my husband to go to college.
I was stymied between my realization at 15 and putting my plan into action, but when I got us away and into university life, I knew I was finally where I was supposed to be.
Mine was 40. My son was grown & married & I was able to break into the nonprofit field. How satisfying it was to do something to help others every day. I took quite a hit in pay but the rewards were well worth it.
At what age or point in your life did it hit that it's time to start living?
We have always 'lived'. If 'starting living' means 'kicking up your standard/style of living' quite a few notches, for us, there were no specific points and more like specific targets . We started to spend a bit more when our mortgage was paid off. We embarked in new activities (scuba diving, flying, rowing) when my daughter went to college. We spent more on hobbies (owning a new plane, took extended/adventurous and somewhat costly vacations etc. ) when we finished paying for my daughter's vet school, and have accumulated a decent retirement saving.
Quote:
Once you have more years behind you than you have in front of you it's time to start living.
Does this mean wasting a major part of your life? Why not just continuous living, enjoying life as much as you can within whatever prudent limits that you have set and planned?
I find it inexpressibly sad that some people seem to feel as if they will only start "living" when they retire. What a tragic waste of the better part of a lifetime.
I get your point. But a lot of people find the world of paid employment to be limiting and unfulfilling and they want to get out of it as soon as possible. Of course, some people can make decent money doing work they love, but I think it's generally the exception and not the rule.
I was outside washing and grooming our dog when I heard a loud thud in the garage. I rushed in to see DH laying on his back. He'd fallen about 5 feei and landed flat on his back. He couldn't talk for a bit since the wind was knocked out of him.
After the momentary panic and finding he was alright, I had such clarity on what's important and what isn't. I've been taking things for granted. No more. Or ar least not for a while.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
