Those around here that know me are already aware that I try not to be too serious about....well, almost anything.
And so this subject is not much different than any other, in that I will make lite if I can get away with it.
But, I'm willing to come clean on this subject in order to address a couple of the recent posts.
First, it is true that not ALL Tenere riders are old goats. It can't be true since there are some with young children.
5, 12, 14, 16? Retirement? Yea, I'd suspect it's a little early since you are still neck deep in the "provider" part of a typical mans life!
(A wonderful time, I might add. I LOVED it! That role defined why I am even on this planet!)
When our children were that age, I wouldn't likely even click this thread. :'( It was a pipe dream.
Honestly, even just a few short years ago I wouldn't spend nary a moment contemplating such a thing. Retirement? I didn't have a plan nor had I been one of those "planners" for such either.
But I'm not alone on this journey. I married about 35 years ago and my partner in crime was very different. (Thankfully!) Not so much in being focused on retirement, for we rarely even talked of it seriously, but she was the kind to work at the same place for 30 straight years, for example. As a result, she was the tortoise and I was the hare, economically speaking. I was mostly self employed (or contracted) and I brought it $ALL to the table for household living, while she was the one contributing to all those things that start with 4-0-this and 4-0-that. ::013::
So my good fortune to even participate in this thread as a potential "retired" ADV rider is no reflection on my wisdom or economic brilliance. I didn't out-smart anybody. I simply married an Angel.
The only advantage I might have over most is that I literally can live, to some extent, off the typical "American Grid" style of life. What I mean by that is I can enjoy life at a remarkable low $burn-rate compared to many.
(Others could do it too if they had the fortune, or misfortune, depending on how you view it one day to the next, of having no one to look out for but yourself)
When I lost Brenda, I quickly realized that I no longer cared about a lot of stuff that we cared about
together. Admittedly I couldn't have predicted it, but I was just honest with myself and concluded I don't need ........um....."all this stuff".
Gave all the assets to our lunatic children. House to the one that had already started a family, and everything else to the others. Carved out a small patch on the back of the land, rented a ditch-witch and ran utilities into "the woods". Put in a sceptic and bought a little RV.
~160Sf of man-cave living. (Might build a tiny-house someday. But I ain't suffering, so no hurry)
So yea, I might retire this year. Or semi-retire. Or whatever. I really don't know for sure. What I do know is I no longer have many coals in the fire. No big burdens. No "stuff-load".
Just a couple of trucks, a few bikes, and the use of my brothers barn (on land adjacent) to keep some of it out of the weather.
And if I buy the groceries, there's always something cooking in one of the 2 kitchens that are just a short jaunt through the trees.
It ain't how I envisioned things. It ain't even how I'd have preferred it. But you know that ole saying about playing the cards that are dealt........