When I was nearing fifty, twenty-plus years ago, I realized that what I was doing was basically running on a treadmill. I was bored, frustrated and not at all comfortable with myself. The expectations I had had for my career were hugely different from the reality. And, the life I had built for me and my family was not a comfortable fit.

My wife and I decided then to simplify our lives and quit being "wage-slaves". For the ten years between this decision and my "retirement" while still in my fifties, we rid ourselves of most of our encumbrances, we started aggressively saving and investing and worked assiduously at ridding ourselves of debt. I kept my job but changed my attitude towards it from trying to work my way up the career ladder to just doing what I was paid to do, as well as possible. That attitude change made a huge difference.

By the time I was in my late fifties, we were financially independent and no longer needed to work to have a satisfying life. I had quit my job and we lived in a rural part of western Washington in a house we had built, grew most of our food, and lived pretty much off the grid. We now live a little more on the grid in Arizona but the idea is the same. We are self-sufficient and have enough income to indulge ourselves in a few interests. We live a life others consider to be genteel poverty but it suits us and we are happy. We carry long term health care insurance and feel our future is secure though probably not luxurious.

I recall a lot of the people I worked with hitting the mid-life "Is this all there is?" crisis. A lot of them started chasing younger women, drinking a lot, or got a tattoo, or hair transplants, or bought a Harley and grew farcical whiskers, or bought a big boat, or some or all of the above. I honestly think my idea worked better, at least for me.