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Retirement plans.....
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

coachg wrote:
My wife is a city bred Japanese woman

Gotta laugh. A friend and his Chicago-bred wife were walking through a chunk of New Mexico desert when she picked up a round, flat piece of driftwood or something and observed that it would make a nice candleholder. She shrieked and threw it away when he explained to her about cowpies. Very Happy
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

does this mean the topic is now cow shi7 ?

We could have some terrific insight then

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rlemmens



Joined: 09 Feb 2008
Posts: 206

PostPosted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 3:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

isobars wrote:
The only things that finally slowed me down on the empty remote highways I usually drive were deer, increased police technology, and the threat of arrest at 16 over the speed limit. It has taken a significant change of attitude, especially when it's already blowing.
.

Yep I got that $496 citation driving down the 5 going 64 mph. I usually notice the moisture if I'm in it for a couple weeks with the dogs. I'm in the Bay Area so it's a pretty moderate climate. I'm sure there's also extra condensation because the heat retention or dissipation or whatever (its been a while since my last chem and physics classes) of aluminum (since its inside and outside) is different than what they use in most trailers so it may build up more quickly.

I think I'm in a relaxed mindset driving the trailer (now) because I feel like I can leave whenever I want so there's no pressure to get there. But that's just me.
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windward1



Joined: 18 Jun 2000
Posts: 1400

PostPosted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 11:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well I decided to not wait until retirement. Living already in the mainland heaven on earth, Santa Cruz, California, I decided to take off a year to enjoy windsurfing while my body, muscles, ligaments and tendons still worked. I have seen neighbors with arthritis and read about a few with significant injuries in this forum and heard the tales of what high school injuries do to one later in life, so I thought I needed to grab some time on the water while I was still functioning in relatively good form. While never the excellent athlete, I do enjoy my time out windsurfing. So I did not renew my contract work past March of last year 2013. I have spent about as much time on the water as I can during that time until now. It has been the best year of my life! I have enjoyed every second of it. Only problem is now, I am having a difficult time finding work or a contract. Of course, then, I may not be trying that hard...... ('Cool')
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GURGLETROUSERS



Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 2643

PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 4:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It isn't a simple issue, is it?

Most of us go through a phase as I did, in my 40's, of almost throwing up a career and settled life (little boxes, and all that) to follow a dream. Mine was the wilderness life (kayaking) to which I was limited in following only in holidays, which never lasted long enough. But from an older perspective, I'm glad I didn't.

A deciding factor was meeting the remnants of a group of 60's Hippies, who had thrown it all up to follow their idea of freedom by settling on a remote Scottish island. By thge 80's, it had all turned sour, and there were just two families left trying to eek out a subsistence living. Their dream had become a nightmare, and they envied me! (I had a good home and career and PLACE in life to return to, so could truly appreciate the limited time in which I was truly free of stress and worry, in 'the wilderness.'

It isn't just down to having the money to do what you fancy. There has to be a sense of purpose and meaning, to keep you going for the rest of your life. I don't think a single objective, such as windsurfing, will meet that requirement in most people, especially as they eventually age, and start to look back at what once was in life. I realised I didn't want to throw any of that away!
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gobbdogg



Joined: 28 Sep 2008
Posts: 163

PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

GT- Well said- a sense of purpose is essential- and variety also- I know that even if I won the lottery and didn't have to woorry about money, I'd still want to create (being an artist/ craftsman) and keep busy. The luxury would be to not worry about whether it would sell, although that could bring it's own issues.
The wandering vagabond life can be good for a stretch, but everyone I know who has done that eventually settles back down and sets to doing something steadier.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's why writing about WSing (and health and fitness) are so important to me: it combines my primary interests with the craft of wordsmithing. (It's unfortunate that so many people are jealous of that luxury and resent my efforts to the point they do their damnedest to undermine my efforts, but that's their -- and our punchbowl's --problem more than mine.) I began hitting the road to chase wind for 6 months out of the year at about the same time I began writing a health and fitness e-zine column and testing and writing for a windsurfing magazine. It all blended beautifully, as even almost 25 years ago the internet was adequate for the challenge of researching and typing and working from my van and/or any convenient library whenever it wasn't blowing. These days that's infinitely easier, library or no library.

People who don't need an externally driven purpose in life are well suited to the full-time RV lifestyle. One bud sold his farm, bought a big MH, and now lives in it year-round with glee. He's a social animal and a kiter, so he just follows the wind and his friends. I need more than that, and need more hours in the day to even scratch the surface of what I want to do even when prevented from WSing by weather or injury. Other, maybe most, people have no consuming innate drive, and need to be given tasks. Where the OP fits on that scale of internal vs external motivation may strongly influence his satisfaction with no home base or job.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Wed Mar 05, 2014 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

windward1 wrote:
Well I decided to not wait until retirement. ... I decided to take off a year to enjoy windsurfing while my body, muscles, ligaments and tendons still worked. I have seen neighbors with arthritis and read about a few with significant injuries in this forum and heard the tales of what high school injuries do to one later in life

That choice is challenging. You'll be surprised how long a well-maintained and highly active body can last (I know VERY few full-time or all-summer WSers even 1/3 my age who can put in the hours on the water I still can at 70, and I'm taking steps to increase my capacity). But you're also partially right about the impact of high school injuries. Just today my sports medicine PT lamented the prospects of his high school, college, and pro athlete clients. Their surgery recovery is fleeting, as chemical changes inherent with even moderate joint trauma is a very strong predictor of debilitating arthritis within about 8 years.

Think about that. High school + 8 years means they will be impaired well before they're 30. DAMN but I'm even gladder now that I skipped high school football; halfbacks in the 50s, when virtually any block or tackle was allowed, paid a huge early price for their short term glory.

Maybe that means people with early joint injuries are well advised to take some serious WSing breaks early in life, while those without the early injuries may be better suited to getting the grindstone behind them, retire early, and enjoy 30 years of play after a career. (The obvious alternative is to do both: get the hell out of the office and play evenings and weekends DURING a full-time career. That probably impacted my career a bit, but holy CRAP was it ever fun, and it's compatible with many or most careers if we work at it.)
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