In my early 40s, I was introduced to the concepts of simple living, minimalism and financial independence. Prior to that, I was constantly running uphill trying to support a lifestyle I couldn’t afford, working in high stress sales positions and living under an immense burden of debt.
Back then, I desperately looked forward to weekends, holidays and my measly week of annual vacation just so I could decompress and unwind for a few days. Although I wanted to squeeze in every second of pleasure into these days off, often I was nearly catatonic the first few days until my mind and body could relax.
I’m no victim. I chose that life and career path because it enabled me torn more than I could in a more suitable job. My life – ruled by quotas, deadline and end-of-quarter stress was of my own choosing.
Once I was able to start paying down debt and, as importantly, spending less by living frugally, it was easier to breathe. Work was still stressful, but having a financial cushion brought significant relief.
Now it’s 15 years later. Many things have changed- most significantly, my wife passed away and I retired.
There are no more “special occasions” because everyday is a special occasion.
I sleep well. I’m physically fit. I bury my face in my dogs, petting them and playing with as they wiggle with joy. The warmth of the sun when I walking the dogs on a cold day makes me smile. Seeing my regulars at the pool greet me with a big smile warms my heart. A warm shower feels good – so does wearing my minimalistic wardrobe of weather appropriate clothing. I even love to clean my house.
If I’m being honest with myself, there are still some special occasions that stand out like when I adopted my dogs, when I was able to return to working out after my hernia surgeries, when I successfully stained my kitchen cabinets and painted my bathrooms or when I helped run a technical project for a friend’s podcast.
Those make for good feelings and memories too.
I wish I had thought about any of this when I was younger. I would have made better decisions about my life, my spending and my career.
But spending any time pondering that is like wishing I would win the lottery. I won’t find any joy there. So I don’t think about it much.
I have too many special occasions to celebrate – right here, right now.
