THE SPLENDID SUBLIMITY OF FINANCIAL FREEDOM – PART 1
You have finally made it – you are financially free! This is the day you’ve dreamt about and imagined for years, perhaps even decades. All of your diligence, persistent planning and audacious saving have come to fruition. Today marks the culmination, nay, the zenith, of an exceptionally lofty goal pursued with relentless vigor and passion! So, tell me, what is it like?
THE FIRST 90 DAYS OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
While there are a number of bloggers who have been kind enough to share their reflections and insights at various points in their post-FIRE journey, frankly, I don’t think there can be enough of them. I recall a dispiriting dearth of this type of information when I was working toward FIRE and it was more than a bit disappointing.
Every individual account and perspective can, and should, be considered valuable to the those in “pre-FIRE mode” (to all of us, actually). Having access to a wide array of data documenting the realities experienced by individuals who have achieved their freedom allows us to make more informed choices, capitalize on the lessons & learnings of others, expose us to new possibilities & new ideas, and, ultimately, to realize the value and power of our collective diversity.
While these accounts, fortunately, continue to grow, I also wanted to be a part of the change I’m advocating and figured I offer my insights and reflections on the initial 90 days of early retirement. As a FIRE Aethernaut, it’s my duty to venture out, eyewitness, document and report back.
DAY ONE
I’ll simply start by saying that ‘The First Day” was, without question, the most surreal day of my entire life – and the most glorious. Words disobey in trying to describe what it felt like like with any sense of accuracy. Let’s see. Was it like quaffing heady ambrosia stolen from the gods? Perhaps. Was it like a spectacular, colossal gut-punch of exhilaration and bliss? A bit? Honestly, the whole day I felt as if I was experiencing life in a Dali painting or Kafka novel – it was that kind of surreal.
It was a Friday and I started my morning very early at the beach to do some walking and thinking. Some navel gazing – that kind of thing. It was a majestic sunrise and a beautiful morning without a soul on the Southern California sand (which is a rarity, I assure you). I was hoping for some inspired introspection but could only keep thinking to myself, “This is it. Today is ‘THAT day’. This is the day I’ve been working towards for years. This – right here, right now is ‘The Day.’” And so on. You get it. That same inner monologue continued well into the evening. After the beach, I headed home to spend some time with Ms. Fate for lunch before heading out on a very, very long afternoon walk. My head still spinning, dizzy with exultation, as I continued to attempt to interpret and internalize this amazing and overwhelming experience. Still abuzz, I came home and finally made that pan pizza recipe that I’d been threatening to make for about five years or so. A nice read while lounging with the Furry Fates capped off the day before settling in to a warm and tranquil slumber (with no alarm clock at the other end).
So there you have it – Day One of financial freedom from Mr. Fate. Largely a day spent doing things I love and that bring me happiness, all smeared with this intoxicating, virtually indescribable feeling that pervaded every single second. While it took me a while to understand, that powerful surrealism, that strange magic I felt on that first day is what I now refer to as “The Splendid Sublimity of Financial Freedom.” Most importantly, it’s a feeling that has, fortunately, not abated since. While a little less pronounced perhaps than on Day One, it’s still perceptible in body and spirit each today. Pure magic!
PRIVILEGE
Let’s be perfectly forthright here. The reality that the vast majority of us living in the United States have a bit of food in our bellies, some kind of a roof over our head and, likely, a coin in our pocket, already make us very privileged from a global vantage point. It also stands to reason that any individual who has achieved financial independence is super privileged. Exceptionally privileged. Staggering privileged.
Now, as we all are, I was certainly keenly aware of this prior to becoming financially independent, but it wasn’t until I stopped working that the sheer, overwhelming gravity of this notion truly hit home. I initially felt profoundly grateful to the circumstances and situations – by design, happenstance, persistence, hard work and a bit of luck – that all coalesced in the achievement of my goal financial independence. More than a general sense of gratitude, however, my prevailing thought was (and continues each day to be) “Holy shit, this is privilege at a truly extraordinary level you’re experiencing here. Do not piss away this gift. Do not fuck this up.”
RESPONSIBILITY & MAGIC
In the immortal words of Voltaire (or was it Spiderman’s Uncle Ben?), “With great privilege comes great responsibility.” During my initial months of early retirement, I really invested a good deal of thought into this notion. My realization was that with the affluence of both time and money, how you spend these truly determines who you are. It got me to asking myself the question, “Is it enough to sit on the beach and drink pina coladas while enjoying dazzling sunsets for years or [insert your common vision of self-absorbed retirement here]? Or – could there be something more; should there be something more – something magic?” This, ultimately, became the genesis of the Fates on Fire concept. Sure, I still have plenty of goals, plans and activities based on personal fulfillment such as building a house and moving to the country, traveling, fishing and kayaking, but, for me there has to be something more, hence my transformation into a self-styled “FIRE aethernaut,” a way in which I can leverage this privilege to explore infinite magic of financial independence. If nothing else it will hold me accountable. And here were are. Let’s see what can happen, yeah?
WHAT’S NEXT?
More insights on the initial 90 days of retirement coming in Part 2 of this series, specifically sharing insight on how life is different, what’s changed for the better (& worse), and how I am investing those 168 hours each week. I’d love to hear some comments on your first day of financial freedom if you’ve had one and, if not, what you are planning. I’d also like to hear thoughts on privilege & responsibility as related to financial freedom.
In the meantime, cast your fate on fire to create your own future and celebrate the magic of financial independence.