Retire to live
So I’ve been told my whole life that one should get a job, work hard, save money, buy a house and put money into my pension fund so that one day I can retire. In other words, at two thirds of the way into my life (if I’m lucky), I am meant to stop my work pursue my hobbies and passions because I’ve saved up enough money and the chances are I will die before it runs out! One would say this is the safe way to approach life and the one most opted for in western society.
I want to retire now so that I can live today
I’m going to fast forward all the way to the good stuff and start there. What am I trying to say?
The things I’m putting off for my more “enlightened years” are the things I should be doing now
Those hobbies, those loves that make my heart race and breath life into my body. Those are the temptresses that I am going to let seduce me. And I’m going to let myself fall madly in love.
I don’t want to be lured into this warm fuzzy hum of life, no I want to roar! I think its about finding the things that drive me now, and continue with them into and through those years I’m meant to “retire”.
It seems confuddling to work hard and sacrifice the best or healthiest years of my life so that I can one day do the things I’m really interested in. Shouldn’t I just be doing the things that I love now and forget about whether or not I’ll have something to do when I reach 60?
It reminds me of an old Mexican story, and forgive me for not referencing it cause for the life of me I can’t remember where I got it. There’s this Mexican farmer in his mid 30's chilling out back on his porch watching the sun going down whilst drinking his tequila. He is comfortable in his life. He spends time with his family, he drinks tequila with his gringo’s when he wants to and does what he loves everyday, which is tending to his farm.
A businessman probably a banker comes up to him on his porch and says
“Hey amigo, I see you got a nice little farm here. How about we upscale it for you. We can arrange some money, we buy more land and get in some workers. Start making some real money. What do you reckon?”
so the Mexican farmer thinks about it for a moment and retorts
“Sounds great Chief but I’ve got things pretty much set up here. I do what I love and my family is happy. I don’t want to change the game and turn full scale commercial, it might bring too many other problems that I don’t want to deal with”
The businessman persistent as ever replies
“Well you know if you take this option one day when you’ve made lots of money you’ll be able to retire, and then you’ll have plenty of time and money to hang out with your gringos, spend time with your family and drink tequila”.
The Mexican was a little confused because he had just been offered something that he had already. He never replied and the loan was never taken.
As I make my way through the noisy confusion of life, I am constantly reminded about the Mexican and his farm. It’s time to follow my passions.
Sail, Surf and Yoga
I’m 33, lets see where this takes me :)
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