Then, we pretired again between 2011 and 2013.
Most people retire. And I suppose we will eventually, but for now, we will be pretired.
Never heard that term before? Either had I until the other day.
All you have to do is to google it. Lots of references to the term. Pretirement describes the emergence of a new working state, positioned between the traditional states of employment and retirement.
When I think back, the first time I pretired was when I got out of the autobody business in 1999. Almost 18 years ago, when we were only 37 years old!
I had been a part time smoker in my 20's, but had totally quit at some point in the 1990's. But I was working in an environment where you're still inhaling all kind of dust and chemicals even when using the proper safety equipment. So I decided the only way to maintain my health was to get out of the trade entirely.
As I aged, something was always in the back of my mind, and it's something that I am cognizant of even today. Both my grandfathers died in their mid 60's of heart attacks. One of them was still working on the farm... he died with his boots on. And the other had retired four years earlier after working for the same company for 37 years.
So, this has shaped my thinking somewhat over the past 20 years. We wanted to be able to do some of the things that most people don't do until they are fully retired. I mean, what if I kicked the bucket at age 65? That wouldn't be much of a retirement, would it? I am not going to be that guy! And so we began taking more time off work than what most people in their 40's normally would. And when the motorhome opportunity came our way in 2007. We jumped on it!
Being pretired has given us the ability to do lots of hiking!
And, it made us think a little more about staying in shape and doing cardiovascular activities. Maybe if I kept my heart in good shape, it might last past age 65 or 67! And because we weren't working and we weren't independently wealthy, we had to choose to do activities that didn't cost very much. The best thing that we could come up with was hiking! That's one of the reasons that we do a lot of hiking. It's good for your heart and it's usually free!
And so we became pretired. Pretirement is a great thing. As one of our readers said a couple of weeks ago, there will always be lots of work available, but there is not always lots of time available. So the great thing about pretirement is that if you think you need a few more dollars, you can always get another job. Neither Ruth or I have ever had a hard time finding a job.
And so we are ready to be pretired again. There is still a lot we want to accomplish before we retire!
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I hope my husband takes your words to heart.
ReplyDeleteI hope that he and many others will. We only get one life so you want to make it is a good one! :-)
DeleteWow what a great new term!
ReplyDeleteYep, it is definitely a pretty fitting term for us!
DeleteInteresting to read the background that has shaped your life. I commend you for taking a positive path. It is your life after all and we all get a choice in how to live our lives.
ReplyDeleteEveryone can change their lives but they have to want to change them in order to do so and for some that is a hard thing to do. We are going to keep on doing things that will make our lives healthy, and explore this beautiful world in the process.
DeleteI love the pretired thing. We got self employed five years ago to determine our own path but can see hanging that up in a couple of years to do the same. In the mean time we travel and do the things that are meaningful while we can. Good on you guys!
ReplyDeleteSometimes being self employed is harder then working for someone else because you can't always take holidays when you want to but at least you know what you are doing is for yourself and not for someone else. Sounds like you two have found a way to make it work, where you can still find time to do things for yourselves and get away on a few holidays throughout the year. :-)
DeleteSmart move for sure. We pre retired when I was 50 and Suzie 43, 4 day work weeks, long weekends every week, and lots of vacation time. Then at 56 and 49 we retired, over 11 years ago. We do keep pretty active, and so far I have outlived both my Father and grandfather. I do a lot of walking, when my back will let me, not so much hiking though.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are doing things right as well. It is always a good thing when you know that you have added years to your life when you compare it to that of your father and grandfather. Keep on enjoying your retirement.
DeleteI learn something new every day. You two couldn't have picked a better way to spend you preretired time. We love to hike too.
ReplyDeleteI think we all probably learn something new each day, we just don't always notice! :-)
DeleteWe have definitely seen some amazing things because of our hiking that we would otherwise have missed.
I guess pre retired is different from semi retired?
ReplyDeleteIt's not "pre retired". It's pretired.
DeleteI would say that semi retired means that you're still in the same career, however you're maybe only doing it part time.
No one lies on their death bed wishing they had spent more time working. Have a great pretirement!
ReplyDeleteYou got that right Peter! We will enjoy every minute of it. :-)
DeleteWith all the Hurricanes in the Caribbean are you able to go?
ReplyDeleteIt's still six and a half weeks until we leave. So far, Barbados has been spared...
DeleteI went the semi-retired route for 10 years, referring myself as a "recovering lawyer". Now, I think I might be almost all the way recovered, still hanging onto my law license for some reason. Neither of my husband's parents made it past age 70 and his marathon running brother dropped dead at 50. He still has an intense day job, but we are definitely in carpe diem mode, realizing that the earth will not stop spinning on its axis if we travel for 4 weeks at a time.
ReplyDeleteI think if I were you I would hang up that license (or would that be take it down off the wall) and sit back and relax and figure out where you next destination will be.
DeleteRemind your husband that that life is too short and money can't buy everything in life. Traveling 4 weeks at a time isn't too bad, especially if it is 4 weeks every month! :-P
You are both such an inspiration! I think we have waited far to long to make the decision that you made many years ago. They say it is never too late but still struggling on how to go about it with still carrying debt and still carrying a house. Do you have any suggestions? Enjoy your travels and wishing you both a safe and happy future!
ReplyDeleteThank you Brigitte, we love to inspire people to go out and do things that they have always wanted to do, even if it isn't traveling!
DeleteWell, I think that our first suggestion would be to sell the house and find something smaller and less expensive. Learn to do without all the must haves, and buying only things you REALLY need are just some ideas. We found that managing this campground was a great way to save because you have very little in the way of expenses so if you could find something similar you could start paying down the debt that you are still carrying. There are lots of blogs out there that can be motivating towards living a more simple life which in turn would help to find ways of saving. I hope that is a bit of help, however what will work for us or others may not always work for you.
Congrats on your upcoming pretirement. Wishing you many happy adventures. Keep us up to date with your travels. I have been reading them with interest.
ReplyDeleteLone Grey Squirrel
Thank you!
DeleteNo worries we will definitely be keeping our blog up to date with all the new adventures that we will be having. Not too long either before they will start. :-)
I get it:) I quit working at 59 and never looked back. Family history is also something I get. I am the oldest male in my family line in at least six generations. I want to make the guy who beats me work for it :))
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are doing everything right as well! :-)
DeleteI love your last statement, it says it all.
Awesome post! I need to get my hubby on this "pretirement" thinking at the age of 58 so we can get out on the road sooner (August 2018) rather than later (January 2019). I can take my job with us (magazine publisher) but he's afraid of not "working" as he has done for the past 40 years (or owning a stick house like we have been trained to do)! Hoping this post will help him see the light. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou need to get him to read this post then! I hope you get him on the road sooner. You can always find things to do along the way even volunteer jobs like camp hosting which can give him something to do and a free camping site in the process and can be short term, even like a month or two before moving on to something else.
DeleteThanks, Ruth. He read it last night and thought it was interesting. I think once he gets out there he'll realize it isn't so scary! It's just "new" and "different" than what we were raised with, that's all. I think he's warming up to the idea of next August as we have friends who are full-timers for over 3 years now and we can join them in August to "shadow" how it's done! We'd go sooner but heading to Spain next June for a few weeks (have a conference in Barcelona)! Looking at maybe renting an RV and following your journey you did earlier this year! Ciao! Safe travels to you and Kevin!
DeleteSounds like you are doing it the right way, not that there is really a wrong way! ;-)
DeleteI hope that you do rent an RV in Spain, we loved travelling around in our borrowed on early in the year. To us it is a perfect way to travel and explore at your own pace with your own bed, bathroom and kitchen.