My wife & I were fortunate enough to be able to retire nearly 10 years before the two of us thought the two of us would.
I worked at the same locale since I got out of college.
In fact, the company I retired from was the same company I interned with during summers in college. I appreciated laboring inside the zone controlled Heating & A/C of those offices. My colleagues were good & I had a real passion for work. Even in our mid 50’s I was still enjoying what I did for a living. My wife was the main care giver to our youngsters & had developed her own contractor decorating homes & businesses. This allowed her to have complete control over her schedule. But when the company offered myself and others nearly a full pension at 57, the two of us just couldn’t turn it down. So the two of us substituted the Heating & A/C component in our home & sold it. Then the two of us moved south & bought the smaller bungalow where the two of us live today. When our wife wanted a locale with a sunroom, I was skeptical. The Summer heat was brutal so I couldn’t see the value. But the two of us did it anyway. These afternoons, that was 1 of the best decisions the two of us ever made. All the two of us had to do was add a ductless heat pump. The Heating & A/C professionals made that process both painless & simple. Now that the two of us are slowing down after being retired for 20 years, having that sunroom with good air conditioning is just so valuable to me. I believe savor I can get out in the sunshine even on the afternoons that our body isn’t feeling to great.