Perception is a funny thing.
I had no intention of writing a Part 1a to my recap of my first year of semi-retirement. I planned to move onto Part 2 (spending), Part 3 (earnings) and Part 4 (what’s next). However, I was alerted by a couple of people (including Poopsie) about an unintended perception of Part 1, so I thought I’d address that before moving on.
Last week, I hit publish on Part 1 and expected to receive some very positive feedback. We are by no means a high-traffic blog, but most posts usually get at least a couple of comments. I didn’t get any comments on Part 1. I was surprised, but I don’t write the blog for comments so didn’t give it too much more thought. A few days after it published, I got some feedback from Poopsie and another reader of the blog: both told me that they were surprised by the negativity of the post. Poopsie said that usually I write quite up beat posts but this one wasn’t really.
This is not a problem in and of itself except for that fact that I thought I had written a positive and upbeat post.
I didn’t want to gloss over the fact that semi-retirement (or early-retirement) doesn’t solve all of your problems but I did want to emphasise that semi-retirement had been incredibly positive for me and on the whole I have loved it.
If that didn’t come across to you, as a reader, then I do apologise. That certainly was not my intention.
The past year has been a fantastic one. I can’t think of another period in my adult life where I have been as content, relaxed or happy. Sure, there have been many periods of happiness, but none so sustained and none that made me feel so at ease. To be honest, had I known how much I would enjoy semi-retirement, I would have done it earlier.
I have a fairly positive (privileged) view about money and my ability to earn it. I think I will always be able to earn money (barring a tragedy of some sort), but we all know we will never get our time back. So in hindsight, I would have semi-retired earlier, knowing I could continue to fund my retirement albeit at a slower pace. But the time back would be irreplaceable.
Full early retirement for both Poopsie and I has always been the goal, but now I’m not sure. This semi-retired lifestyle is a great one and we both think it’s a balance we would want to keep up for a while. Poopsie of course remains full time employed (two more years of child support) but after that, perhaps we will take an extended break together, possibly even travelling if we’re not still in a pandemic, and then return to part-time work that challenges us and that we enjoy.
Semi-retirement has been a source of happiness for me, and I am sure it would be for many, many people. If I haven’t made that clear in my writing, that was unintentional. I hope that on the blog this year, I can motivate readers interested in semi-retiring to prioritise it as a goal – you won’t regret it!
That’s weird… I thought it was a very positive piece.
I can certainly confirm that full retirement is pretty damn awesome too!
Thanks for the confirmation, Frogdancer! Also, I am loving reading along with your full retirement adventures. I am a bit slack so usually don’t read for a while and then binge read a few posts and it sounds so great! Can’t wait to join you there one day.
People will read your posts through their own lense.
I actually thought for the most part it was a positive post and quite a good reflection on what a year off could offer. Some time for more deep thinking and introspection.
The one part that perhaps felt a bit less upbeat to me was where you said you didn’t have anything ‘exciting’ to report and you should be doing amazing things. With everything the world has gone through the past 2 years, I hope to see more people realise that life isn’t just about the shiny things, but about the real everyday stuff too.
I didn’t comment on your last post as I was being slack, nothing at all to do with you.
Thank you for sharing so openly about your journey as always.
B
Wise words, Miss Balance. You’re right, everyone will probably read my posts a bit differently.
You’re right about life being mostly about the everyday stuff, that’s a good way of putting it. I wanted to convey this because I probably thought it would be a little less about that when I first began. Everyday stuff is still good, but it’s not super exciting.
Ha, I am the world’s slackest commenter (and comment replier, hence why I am only replying to you now), so I hear ya!
I also didn’t read anything particularly negative in your Part 1 post and, like Miss Balance, I read it but just didn’t get around to commenting on it.
Everyone’s retirement/semi-retirement journey is different and I am enjoying being along for the ride on yours. Keep up the informative posts.
No worries, Ozstache, I am a terrible commenter and replier!
Glad you’re enjoying the posts 🙂
Oh, I didn’t think it was negative at all! And I just left a comment before reading this post 🙂 I love reading what others do in semi or full retirement – I want to be as prepared as possible, haha! and I really like your not wanting to stick to a schedule and just be. And read or binge on a series. Nothing wrong with that AT ALL!! That is what I’m aiming for
I definitely haven’t completely shaken the need to be productive, but I am getting better at it. Reading is my true love so I am always happy to make time for it, and so will you very soon!