Half Retirement Day Zero

I woke up this morning, for the first time in a while, in absolutely no rush. The alarm still went off at 4:45am but somehow felt different. Instead of going straight to the shower, per usual, I wandered downstairs, grabbed a book, and jumped on the treadmill. Thirty minutes later I sat down quietly at the breakfast table and unhurriedly began my meal. This morning is unlike almost any other weekday morning that I can remember over the last decade. This is half retirement day zero. Not an end to one part of my life but the beginning of another phase.

My nursing home patients are being reassigned. The number of phone calls will dramatically fall off over the next week or two. My hospice work will become my primary source of W2 income, and I’ll pivot towards creation.

How I Got Here

My origin story has been described elsewhere. A random call in the office lead to a deep dive in the personal finance literature and blogosphere. My awakening was slow. It took a few years to consume what needed to be consumed. Learn what needed to be learned. I had come to FIRE accidentally, but that didn’t mean that I knew what to do with it.

I started my blog a little less than 11 months ago. Writing is a form of meditation. It is, however, also a form of motivation. Almost every big change, for me, starts with a period of prodigious writing. These pages filled with daily thoughts have become the bulwark of change. They have become the structure and form to take action.

Your words, and comments, and presence brought the surge of energy that cheered me on as I progressed further and further toward the end.

Toward half retirement day zero.

Disingenuous

It would be disingenuous to truly talk of retirement. My hospice position, by any who would measure, surely is considered full-time. The point was not to escape work, but to peel off all activities that were no longer building me as a human being. I coined the term half retirement because I was letting go of half of my responsibilities. Half the responsibilities, but almost all of the stress.

What I am left with is employment that more reflects my identity and purpose. It helps me forge life-long connections with my coworkers.

Yet I am completely released from the fear, loss of sleep, and bad feelings that so often come with doctoring. Getting to half retirement day zero was not about fatigue nor burnout. It was about centering my activities to become a better extension of who I am.

Busier Than Ever

I would love to say that the next month is open. But it’s not. My schedule is more packed than ever. My hospice meetings will keep me engaged a few days a week. The text and phone calls will continue as I help coordinate the care of the chronically ill and dying in my new full-time (half-time) role.

There are blog posts to be written. Podcasts to be created, scheduled, recorded, and edited. I have been getting help on reformulating the look and feel of this blog.

And of course there are trips to take, kids to drive to school, and a spouse to shower with love and adoration.

It’s safe to say that I’ll have little time to sit back on my duff.

Final Thoughts

Half retirement day zero starts today. I have officially offloaded a big part of my daily existence for the last ten years. Although my dance card is still full, I look forward to each and every round slated on the dance floor.

Financial independence is plan B. It is a lever to a more meaningful and purpose driven life.

Today I have pulled that lever and now will jump head first.

Wish me luck.