Here's A Question For You...

[RickN]

I have to say this not how I pictured myself when I was young and at one point not that long ago I was doing really well with a great business. Then the government caught a lot of a$$holes cheating Medicare, changed the way they did things and put a lot of us smaller companies out of business. Not long after things started down hill, so did my health and things have just gotten worse. I went from a business selling medical equipment around the world, to some of the biggest hospital in the US and to TV shows, getting ready to gross a couple million a year with several employees, to having to watch every penny.

 

[dennishoddy]

Growing up in the working world, I was always focused on saving $ for retirement.
Who knows if you're going to make the complete ride as lots of obstacles are always in the road that could short circuit that?
Always working in some sort of industrial Maintenace in the electronic side where overtime pay was always available, and I took advantage of it. Every dime from when I was in the late 20's went into savings and finally investments. Lived under our means, never needing a fancy house always thinking that there could be bad times and needing the savings to cover the house payments until getting back into work. Went through a divorce where I got child support, and married the love of my life two years later.
Didn't buy a gun a month, only ones used to hunt with sparingly. Was in the late 20's before buying my second gun. (There may be a "few" more now)
When hitting 62 yrs old jumped on SS the day eligible and retired afterward on April fools day.
My lifetime goal was never to be rich, but to be comfortable in retirement and never have to look at the checkbook to see the balance. (The "boss" does that for me.)
8 years into retirement with RV'ing in our current 5th wheel for 5 years meeting some of the greatest people on earth (average Americans) is an amazing ride. We have heard some of the greatest lifetime stories anyone can imagine.
We don't know strangers and strike up conversations with anyone that will stop and listen. On the road 6-7 months out of the year currently with 13 states visited in 2021.
Getting where I don't like going home. The RV parks we stay at long term offer many amenities like great bands three times a week with a bar, heated pools with a bar, hot tubs, lapidary, woodworking shops, poker tournaments, golf outings, pickle ball, softball teams, discount tours on whatever they can negotiate and so on where we are now. Why go home and miss this?
We have a network of friends with 6 couples here now in Arizona with many more we meet around the country at different times, so there is a gathering almost every day. We hosted a burger cookout tonight with all the trimmings. Tomorrow someone will host another.

 

[Pstmstr]

I grew up 2 houses from the train tracks and my mother was a pain medicine addict. Joined USMC at 19, went to work at USPS at 23. Worked my way up from carrier to district operations manager and have been retired 10 years with a nice retirement. I’ve got 2 daughters, 2 grandkids, a dog, and a woman who loves me. Life is good.

 

[TedKennedy]

I hunt and fish just like I'd always wanted to do. My younger years were so wild, there's been no need for a mid-life crisis.

I married a beautiful woman who treats me like a king.

I have a good job, it's better than I could ever have hoped for.

My youngest son is a true blessing.

The death of my oldest son casts a shadow over everything. It's like a bad joke.

 

[BillM]

lol....grown up?

I seem to be growing out, but the whole "growing up" thing is in serious doubt. I am a bit wizzed off that I'm not a starship pilot yet. And approaching 67 not likely to be, either. What's up with that?

Bill

 

[turkeyrun]

How does your adult life compare to what you thought it would be like?

I didn't think it hurt would this bad. But, overall blessed. Wif (46 years), 3 kids, 12 grandkids ( never imagined that ) and a beautiful great-granddaughter.

Dad always told me I would be lucky to get past 21. Rodeos, dirt bike racing and muscle cars were fun, but could explain that and the body aches.

Amazed I made it past 65. Dad passed at 57. His Dad was 51. His oldest brother was 51. His sister was 52. I have lost 4 cousins, (50, 50, 51, 59)

I try to enjoy every day to the fullest. I am not a millionaire, but richer than I deserve.

 

[wawazat]

I never imagined myself married or with kids because I have also been adamantly opposed to passing on my genetics (I have struggled with anxiety and at times severe depression since I hit puberty). I legitimately street raced, smoked like a train, and drank like a fish through my 20s because I truly didnt care if I saw 30. I just knew I wouldn't off myself for as long as my parents were still alive.

Fast forward to now and closing in on 40. I am married with two awesome kids (without having to pass on my genetics and could prescreen them for personality, hahaha). I had to give up my car hobby due to lack of time or interest for that matter until the kids are on their own. I am healthier now than I was in my 20s. Im still not overly interested in seeing how long I can live, but I have matured to appreciate at least staying able bodied for as long as I can. I take far fewer risks to avoid burdening my family with having to take care of stuff without me.

Overall I am in a good place. I am without some things that I always thought I would have, but that is more than offset by the things I do have that I never dreamed I would.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

Mission accomplished. I got my pilot's license and had sex.

Woody

 

[Gadsden]

I've got no complaints, as a matter of fact, considering some of the crazy stunts I did as a kid, I'm surprised I've grown to be as old as I am now. The Lord was obviously watching over me though and because of that I've been fortunate enough survive all that and go on to say I've done most of the things I have ever wanted to and been to many of the places I've dreamt of. The one thing I have not done yet, but I'm determined to do, is ride in a fighter jet.

 

[BryanDP]

I don't remember as a kid really thinking about how "things would be" or even how I wanted them to be when I grew up. Probably because I just sort of went from being a kid to essentially grown up at a pretty young age. My family wasn't dirt poor but we weren't that well off and I tended to have a "want" for things that weren't given to me so I started running small businesses and finding money-making opportunities for myself (all 100% legal, I might add!) at a pretty young age.

Several years ago I realized that in order to take care of my health I needed to get myself into a situation where I could sleep until I naturally wake up. As long as I can remember, even 7 and 8 a.m. wakeups have been painful to me and I don't think I've really ever been very productive before about 11 a.m. or Noon. I've always been a "night owl" doing my best work after midnight until the wee hours of the morning. These days I work for myself and I rarely have to set an alarm so I guess you could say I have been "successful" in my adult life goals. I wake up naturally, do some work at my home office and some days go onsite for a gig. But, that's about it.

I probably think about the future now more than I ever have. In a couple of years neither my wife or I will be tethered to a day job and we are starting to think we will try out the RV life. This never appealed to me before the pandemic but frankly after the last 15 years or so I'm a bit tired of airlines, car rental places and hotels and all the BS that goes with them. Even more so, with all the talk of "showing your papers" and vaccine passports and having to wear a mask everywhere you go none of our former favorite travel destinations any longer really appeal to us so RVing is looking pretty attractive. I guess we'll see how things move along in the next couple of years.