I retired before I worked--an idea worth considering!

The moment I decided to go bluewater sailboat cruising stands out clearly in my mind. I was standing on a Southern California bluff staring out at the Pacific Ocean, still a little bit in shock. It was the afternoon of my father’s funeral; he had died young at 63, after a brief and losing battle with cancer

I was 29 years old, and had acquired many of my father’s Type A traits. Following his example, I had propelled myself along the rail tracks of the American Dream of professional accomplishment and material acquisition. My husband, Dan, and I owned a very busy and successful contracting company. I enjoyed the work a lot.

Dan, though, had introduced the idea of sailboat cruising to me and had been trying to win me over. We would be reaching a natural stopping point in our projects in about a year, and he advocated getting a boat and taking off then. I was attracted by the idea, being a gypsy and adventurer at heart, but I couldn’t shake the conditioning of my father’s upbringing.

Until today.

As I looked out at the expanse of ocean and felt the sea breeze on my face, I thought about my dad. He was still working when he got sick—a retired career military officer who was now city engineer of a seaside town in San Diego County. He and my mother maintained a 3-bedroom house on an acre of land—space overkill for the two of them, but it was what they’d gotten used to.

My parents had talked a lot in recent years about what they would do when Dad retired once and for all. They made all kinds of plans for the golden years they would spend together. None of those plans would be put into action now.

I thought about what a lottery game life is—how we never can be really sure about the future. The one thing we could be sure of is that every single one of us would eventually “win” this particular lotto.

I don’t want to wait for some far off day that might never come, I thought. If I really want to go cruising, I should do it now.

That was the day I jumped the rails of the American Dream. A little over a year later, Dan and I untied Brandy from her slip in a Kingston, NY marina, and my cruising life officially began. As any life, it’s been full of joys, sorrows, and unexpected twists and turns.

I’ve never regretted the decision made on that California bluff twenty-five years ago. I have had amazing experiences, retiring before I worked. I've returned now, created professional success in the corporate world, and am now doing the same in my own company. I retired before I worked, and I'm glad I did.