I'm Retired

Tomorrow marks the 1 year anniversary of my retirement and transition to full time sailing. Though, tomorrow is Saturday, and I retired on a Friday, so I guess it depends on whether you go by calendar date or...but I digress. I'm retired.

One of the most common questions I get these days is: "Do you miss it?"

Without hesitation, my response is a resounding no! And this surprises a lot of people.

I had worked at my former employer for a long time. 24 years. Maybe 25? I lost track. Around a quarter of a century. For a tech company, that's astonishing. We survived the "internet bubble", and continued to thrive in the face of ever changing and increasing challenges in the industry. A lot of companies didn't last 10 years, and employees rarely stuck around for 5 years.

To be clear, I didn't hate my job. My co-workers were amazing, the work was always evolving and changing, there was no end of interesting projects, and I was in a position where I could choose what I wanted to do. And I hadn't done the same thing over and over for a quarter of a century.

But I'd had enough, and my heart just wasn't in it any more.

I wanted to do something different. Not something else, like a hobby. I had plenty of those stacked up. I didn't want something more to do, I actually wanted to do less. To focus on a thing, rather than dividing my attention.

What's the thing? Exploring the world. Sailing is a way to explore, as is scuba, freediving, hiking, etc. Sailing is a way to travel and explore while bringing everything with you. It forces you to become more minimalist, to simplify. To slow down and be deliberate, to be in the moment. And eliminates the need to go back home, to leave sooner than you want to, in order to tend to things. Home is where you are.

There's plenty of technology to scratch that part of my brain, for sure, and I'll be showcasing some of that in the "Dave's Tech Corner" posts. But there's also just sitting and watching the sunset. Sitting on the beach, listening to the waves wash up on shore.

How long will this phase of my life last? Who knows...I can easily envision 10 years, but who knows. I'm committed to enjoying it while I can.

I've been incredibly fortunate in my life. And the things I value most are the experiences and friends I've made. I'm looking forward to experiencing more, and making more friends. I'm retired.