Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Building Our Cozy Log-Cabin "Retirement" Future

This post was one of my originals 8 months ago.  Read the PS at the end for the rest of the story...

I dreamed of retiring at 55 so I could build our own log-home and live simply. But that time came and we still had some of our children living at home and going to college. So I just kept working in a profession I loved as an educator.

I wanted to be physically capable of doing most of the building of our retirement home. I have many log cabin building books, and a whole library I accumulated over the years on how to set up a self-sufficient farmstead with a large garden and animals. It is likely to be an important part of how I choose to stay active when I "retire".

Retirement for me means starting a new career for the next 15 or so years of my life. I don’t plan on doing this because I have to, but because I want to. Becoming idle just doesn’t fit my lifestyle or needs. My wife is a cancer survivor who has sacrificed to live where my career took us and to raise a family of 5 outstanding children. I want to provide some extra "retirement" money so we can travel for three reasons; 1) visit and help family, 2) serve our Church and community, 3) just have some good fun.

My research concerning retirement over the past 5 years has helped me realize many essential and challenging issues needing our attention as we prepare. This blog and my website share what we have been learning.

I have over 2500 friends on Facebook probably due to my 34 years of teaching 100's of students annually. I figure there have been as many as 10,000 who have allowed me access to their brains as we struggled together to learn and stretch our intellect and spiritual muscles.

I enjoy writing. Thus far I have several places to publish and share; Facebook, http://saferetirementfreedom.blogspot.com/, and my website linked from my Blog. Hopefully this will continue to allow me to engage in the process of helping my friends and many former students continue to learn and explore together. It will be a great creative outlet. Intellectual curiosity has fueled many years of growth for me. It is one of the most satisfying things I engage in. I love the creative process and its congruence with spiritual processes.

For us, preparations for our future are ramping-up and the time for "retirement" grows near. The last ten years before retiring are crucial. But every year of our working lives should contribute to the preparedness with which we approach retirement, whether we are 25, 45, or 65 years young.

I hope you will become a part of our group and contribute to the discussion. Simply sign in to the left of this post.
 
PS update: as of June 2012---we bought an existing home in the Boise Idaho area so the log home became a short sale or sorts, since that was the best financial opportunity as the economy continues to languish.