April Fool’s

I was sitting on my dad’s couch yesterday morning, talking and sharing coffee, and as we often do, the subject of the FAA came up. We were talking about common people we knew and about career choices we made, when it dawned on me that April Fool’s Day 2023, today, was supposed to be my planned first day of retirement. Throughout my career, I had set this date for several different reasons. I mentioned it to dad, and we talked about it for a bit. I was kind of taken aback as the time from when I retired in 2018 to now seems like a blink of the eye. I could have done it standing on my head. But life changes your career plans at times and when your family needs you, really needs you, you drop everything and go. Most think the idea of moving to Texas came after the decision to retire, but really it was an integral part of the decision to retire early.

From the first day of hiring on with the FAA, I had looked to the future to pick a day to work towards. I chose April 1, 2023, due to the silly humor I have had. The last day of work would have been March 31, and on April 1, I was going to call my boss and tell them I had changed my mind and that I would be back to work on Monday. After a pause and my boss starting to say something, I was going to interrupt and declare, April Fool’s!!! That’s the nature of me, spend thirty some-odd years planning a two-minute joke. You must admit it would have been hilarious. Of course, there were more solid reasons for the date. March 2^nd, I turned sixty-two and was eligible for social security to supplement my pension. March 18^th would have been forty-two years of Federal service, maximizing the difference between working and retirement income. I would have had five more years of contributing the maximum allowed by the IRS into my 401K, which would have made significant gains until about eight months ago. But would have been happy for the last couple of months of gains. In other words, the nest egg would have been much bigger. Jen would have had five more years to enjoy her dream kitchen. That might have had more significance than I can imagine. We probably would have bought a house on the lake as we would have had a lot more to work with and we could have bought just about any house in the neighborhood.

Of course, I say all the above based on an idea of what things would have been like. Believe me, I have nothing to complain about and we have been blessed to have the life we live. The house we have been turning into anyone’s dream home has been amazing. The people we have met, the associations we have developed, and the simple life without working have all been worth the decisions we made. It is amazing how life has turned out. We have had some scares with our health. Neither of us free of that fact, but we have made some discoveries to make things better for us both, not perfect, but certainly ok. It has been so nice seeing Jen flourish with a goal she had set for herself to be community minded. I think it may have even surprised her how receptive everyone has been and of course her friendship with Beth Ann, who has been a long-time friend of the Wilson family. It is so nice to see this friendship as her closest friends Nancy and Annie are not in a day-to-day role for her. They’ll always be huge parts of her life. It is interesting how the Colorado kids have flourished as well. Not that they counted on us that much, but their focus might have become sharper towards their own families and their careers. We are happy to see this for all three, something we have seen for some time with the California girls.

As I have written previously, the move to Texas gave me the gift of time with my mom and dad. Although only five months for my mom, it is time I would not have gotten if I stayed working. I would have felt guilty at not helping with the situation my dad was in. I wouldn’t have been there for him for the last three years and our relationship might not have become what it is today. Oh sure, he would have had my sister and her husband, but would have never been what we have between us now. I cherish what I have. The sacrifice Jen made for me will never be forgotten and is also a gift that I could never repay in kind.

We have built a life that has also presented some regrets. We most certainly would have been happier living our dream life and building on the fortunes we would have amassed. We would have been more successful by far.

Got ya!

April Fool’s!! We are living the life we were meant to have and enjoying every second of it. We are truly blessed!