When we have the benefit of hindsight, we recognize how much impact an event has had on our lives. My wife Tammie and I had an experience a number of years ago that dramatically changed the direction we were headed and set the stage for where we are now.
In 2003, I was the Executive Director of the Bartlett Park District in the suburbs of Chicago. I had been in that position for 29 years. It was a fabulous job that had changed in scope as the community had grown from 4,000 residents in 1974 to 40,000 in 2003. I was extremely active in our statewide professional association, as well as in our local church, and was Past President of our Rotary Club. I was 53 years old and set for another ten to fifteen years before retirement. I was in a great place, financially and in the community.
Tammie's father died of lung cancer in the spring of 2003. He lived longer than the doctors had predicted--it was not a sudden thing, but it was obviously a sad time nonetheless. We could not imagine the impact his passing would have on our family.
When Tammie's Dad passed away he was 69 years of age. Too young really. His life had been dedicated to his work. He was a long haul truck driver who spent a great deal of his life "on the road". He barely knew his kids.
Shortly after his passing, Tammie and I went on a camping trip to Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee to get away from pretty much everything. For me, I've found that being out in nature has a way of clearing my head and allows me to see things more clearly.
We had some very deep, soul searching conversations during that trip. I recall late nights in front of the campfire discussing what our future could be like. I recognized that I had an incredible opportunity to change our lives if I retired early, at age 55. I would have to give up a lot of things--but we as a family would gain so much, experiencing life together in a different way.
The rest of the story, some of you already know. I did retire early, we sold our house in Bartlett, along with most of our possessions. We bought an RV and traveled the country for a year with our two kids aged at that time, 11 and 13. I home schooled both of them through middle school and high school. I poured my life and experiences into our kids and got to know them in ways that would have been impossible if I had stayed in my old job. They're both in college now.
During our RV travels, we visited Franklin Tennessee. We fell in love with the town and built a house here. Tammie got her real estate license in 2007 just in time for the 2008 housing crash. Ouch! I joined her in the business early last year.
The decisions we made over a campfire in the spring of 2003 changed the direction of our lives...for the better I think.
This is an entry in Endre Barath's Life Changing Events Contest.
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