It feels as “right” as I’d hoped.

I first posted here a few months ago when I was really struggling with the difference between what the math said (you can FIRE) and what I was feeling (are you sure? Can you really fire? But wait….). Then, last month – 31 days ago – I gave notice. My final day was a few days ago, this past Monday, and now here I am a few days into this next chapter. My birthday was also earlier this week, so I’m a sense this I had been a birthday gift to myself. My earlier post is here: https://www.reddit.com/r/financialindependence/s/OT3n1F6sqt

So here’s one thing I’ve noticed already:

– my thoughts feel more my own

– I’m less anxious because I don’t need to be as connected and overstimulated by the communication technologies around me

– I’ve slept better in the past few weeks than I have in a long time

– I’m checking my phone less because I’ve removed the apps and notifications that tethered me to my job

– I discovered a guitar shop in my area that I didn’t realize was there, and I signed up for lessons and bought a guitar (I’ve played other instruments in the past, woodwinds mostly, and some piano, but have always wanted to learn to play the guitar)

– I’m finding it peaceful to put on an audiobook and do some little jobs around the house

– I’ve got little desire to see any of my former colleagues ever again, except for maybe a small few

– My wife and I planned a little trip at the end of the month because it was really easy to plan around only one person’s schedule (she loves her job and wants to work just a few more years)

– A few acquaintances and friends have confessed that they dream of hanging it up, but we don’t, as a society or culture, have enough models of people who have planned enough to walk away when they want

– I’m not compulsively checking my investment and retirement accounts several times a day, which may seem counterintuitive, but I think I was doing it so often before because I was wrestling with the “can I really?” question, and now that it’s done, it’s done

– I’ve been a bit of a tourist this week and went to a museum and several branches of my local library to get a lay of the land and see what the vibe is in some community spaces and institutions.

– and on a few occasions, I’ve just sat quietly and watched random thoughts float through my mind, and have been noticing how much mental space was being consumed by work, and now I'm getting used to just letting those thoughts go as the noise settles down a little.

While I’m still brand new at this, my time feels more mine than it has in decades. I feel more like a kid again, like my time is something I can play with. I feel like I can think better. Focus a little better. Lately, I’ve even found myself more consciously choosing not to buy, like being more resistant to the urge.

For me, working through the financial math has been one part of my FIRE story, but the non-financial part of this has bigger. There’s a way FIRE actually FEELS in my body that I didn’t realize would happen the way it has or as quickly as it has.

Thanks to some folks on here for a few pieces of advice, encouragement, and nudges. I hope I can pay it forward.