My life continues to be consistently fantastic. Some people might find it boring, but to me it is rich and full. I wake at 4:45AM, feed and walk the dogs in the predawn hours and then workout for the rest of the morning. I swim every afternoon.
Willpower Is Overrated
People who know me think I have great willpower because I exercise religiously, I eat a strict diet, I don’t drink, I was faithfully married for 29 years until my wife died, I keep a neat house and I’ve been able to retire early. They are wrong. I don’t have great willpower.
So You Want A Quiet, Simple Life?
I always wanted to have a quiet, simple life. I thought if I worked hard enough and saved enough money, I’d be able to do it. In some ways, this has been true. What I didn’t realize is that I was building a quiet, simple life along the way. If I had been more intentional…
Buying Memories
It’s been raining a lot here lately. Every time I am out in the rain walking the dog, I think, “I need to get a good raincoat”. But I have a decent raincoat. I’d say it is even a good one from Outdoor Research. It’s a thin, waterproof shell that is made to go over…
Experiments – Carnivore Diet, Phone Off, Talking To Strangers
October 14, 2020 Over the past 4 weeks I’ve experimented a bit. Here’s how it’s going: Carnivore diet- Great results. I eat eggs, cheese, canned tuna, canned salmon, chicken, ground turkey, and beef (all kinds), and salsa. Since going from a low carb keto-ish diet with some vegetables and fruit to a strict carnivore diet, I…
You Have To Spend Your Life Doing Something
I heard an interview recently when the subject of having kids came up. One person argued that having kids was overrated. He said people should carefully consider cost in terms of money, time, career, lack of free time, etc. The other person said, “You have to spend your life doing something – raising kids doesn’t seem…
Free Your Mind
I’ve read on early retirement and minimalists blogs, “Your stuff owns you.” They go on to explain how having more stuff means you need a larger house. Having a luxury car brings luxurious insurance and maintenance fees. Owning a McMansion brings exorbitant landscaping costs, utility bills and taxes. I bought into this argument years ago….
Everything Is Local
I have distanced myself from the “big” picture regarding news, events and tragedy. There are wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington State. Air quality there is awful, houses have burned and people have been evacuated. Britain has Brexit issues. India has Covid issues (who doesn’t?). China wants to crush the US (supposedly). Iran might have Nukes….
What Are You Going To Do About It?
Whenever life hits me with a problem, whether it’s a minor inconvenience or it’s The Universal F***ing, there are only two actions that get results: Accept that the current situation is what it is. It doesn’t matter if I think it’s unfair. It doesn’t matter if I deserve better. It doesn’t matter if I just need…
Less News, More Swimming
I’m weary of Covid-19. Although the social distancing guidelines only minimally impact my daily life, I never expected life would become a constant bombardment of virus speculation 24×7. I am intentionally limiting my exposure to “news”, discussion and internet speculation. Instead I’m focusing on hyper local events and activity like walking my dogs, swimming, yard…