It’s been over 5 month’s since I left my job, and it’s been 4 months since I posted a dedicated FIRE update. Figured I should catch y’all up. Reading that last one from when I was 4 weeks deep into FIRE, much has changed, and much has not.
What I’ve done:
-Our 5 year old son started kindergarten last month, and our 2 year old daughter is in 3 day a week daycare. I made it through the summer, and learned that being a full time caregiver is not my thing. We got through it, it sucked, and now things are better. I think I’m a better Dad when I’m not doing it all of the time.
-I did my second ever mountain bike race. It was a lot of fun! I did the intro categoryw last year, of which I got third place(out of 8 others that had never raced before). This year I went to the base level, which is twice the distance. Though I was 5 minutes behind the fastest racer, I was 18 ahead of last place. I finished a tad quicker than middle of the pack, I’m pretty happy with that. This race was the last in a summer long series. The race was so much fun, I think I may do the entire series next year.
-I jacked up my shoulder a few weeks before the above race, and finally got an MRI. Waiting to hear how bad it is. I’ve torn my rotator cuff multiple times; I’m thinking if this is a tear it’s a minor one. (just found out it’s not torn! Yay no surgery! just really aggravated-physical therapy time again) However, the injury has prevented me from doing the Kettle bell press centric workout I’ve been doing for nearly two years. So I’ve switched to some deadlifting and swings. It’s nice having enough workout equipment that I can piece together something around whatever I’ve injured most recently.
-Got caught up on Stranger Things. I can therefore converse about normal shit with people as I have integrated with mainstream culture.
-I went on two vacations so far; a long weekend in Arizona with my sister, and a week in a local spot with my family. Each was nice.
What I’m doing:
-Still taking care of my daughter two days a week and carting the kids around. This seems to be a good balance of getting some Dad time in, but being able to chill too.
-Mountain biking once a week. I figured I’d be doing more, but like many others have said with the removal of work stress I feel less need for such an outlet. I also seem to enjoy it more now that I’m not rushing to get around.
-Playing the guitar. I started right before our son was born, learned 3 chords that I could do 5 songs with, and practiced for months. Stopped for years, and picked it up a second time after our daughter was born and I had time off. Then stopped again. A few weeks ago a friend said I should get back into it, and I scoffed at the idea. I thought I’d never play again; just had no interest. Out of the blue the desire hit and I’m going on two weeks of practice every day. The chords came back and I can do a few songs.
-Archery. Got a used bow from a friend with the hopes of extending hunting season. Set up a simple backyard range, and have been out there almost every day. At this point the desire for hunting is secondary to getting better at Archery. It’s such a satisfying activity, you do stuff correctly, and you get immediate positive feedback. You screw up, it shows. If only everything was this way.
-Taking my daughter to story time. Once a week I take her to our local library for this thing. We sit in a circle, sing songs, and play with bubbles. It’s magical as fuck.
-Being more chill. I’m not in a constant state of nirvana, but I’m much less stressed now that I’ve got some solid me time. It’s sooooo nice.
-Reading awesome books. My wife got me hooked on Tamora Pierce, who seems to write YA towards girls. I have a daughter, so I think it’s important I try to understand what’s going on there. And the books are lots of fun! Think I’ve read at least half of what that lady has written. I’m still maintaining a ratio of 2 fiction books to 1 nonfiction books so I feel like my brain isn’t going completely to mush.
What’s next:
-In a few weeks I’m going on a week long backpacking trip with some old Army friends. Never been legit backpacking, as long as you don’t count the sufferfests that was our job back when we were soldiers. Looking forward to this a lot!
-Have at least one mountainbiking festival coming up.
-Wife and I are going out of town for a wedding. The kids are staying with grandparents for the weekend. Probably looking forward to this the most.
-Hunting season. Last year was my first, and it was good to be more involved in the complete cycle of procuring food. The meat from the single deer I killed last year lasted until May. Hoping to get a couple this year so I don’t have to buy any meat from the store.
-Still making up my mind on the GRE so I can apply to a PhD program. Deadline to apply is December 15th, so I would need to start studying soon. Worse case, I apply next year. I’m not in a huge rush. All this is dependent on if I decide to do the PhD program. Tempting…
-More books! Into Alan Furst now, so that should be a fun journey.
-I’ve wanted to get into rentals forever but was super tired and stressed from work. Way easier to click a button to buy more VTSAX. Now that my wife and I have the bandwidth, we’re planning on starting soon.
-Last and most importantly, when I have the wherewithal to remember I’m trying to be a better husband and father. I think I have a long way to go on both fronts, but this was the big reason I left my job so I’m going to keep running up that hill.
There you have it, a brief update of the happenings of past, present, and possible futures. I could probably do a post on each one! Will I? We shall see.
What do you think? Have you watched Stranger Things, read books, or tried to be a better person? I think they may be somewhat related and I’d love to hear your thoughts on such.
