FIRE allows me time freedom, or more specifically, schetchle freedom.
Let me continue to expound on my travels—post Palo Alto Tech Bro observation.
Much like a wanderer but with a more defined route, I sketched out a 2 or 3-week road trip. This trip was quite honestly one that had been on my ToDo list for about a decade. The drive was the Northwest Coast from San Francisco to Portland, the down I5.
One great part of the adventure was being able to change my routing and timing around. The schetchle allowed for me to drive and sightsee any length of time each day with no confirmed destination required each evening. (That is the exact reason my wife did not want any part of this adventure. Not knowing where we’d end up each night was too non-comitial for her. That and maybe sitting in a car with me for days on end…come to think of it, maybe that was the real reason she opted out).
An important part of this coastal drive adventure was to meet up with friends who lived in the Northwest region. These were friends from grade school, Jr. high, high school, college, and adult life. These visits turned out to require a considerable amount of shuffling.
I knew my schedule was extremely fluid when after 3 hours of driving on day one (Sunday) my Sunday evening stop/motel location was in my rearview mirror by noon. I proceeded on my non-rigid drive as I then drove through my Monday stop as well. I just cruised along exploring and eventually slept in my Tuesday location, but on Sunday evening. Does that count as “two days of time savings?”
This initial change in schedule worked out well because my friend in Bend OR was traveling the early part of the following week meaning I’d need to see him in either 5 days or 10 days from this point. I had planned for the following week, but it turned out I could meet him before his family vacation. I had flexibility, he did not.
I ended up in my car for 12 days on my schetchle and it wouldn’t have mattered if it were 21 days.
These 12 days of freedom were possible because of my LifeInFIRE. These 12 days turned out to be a Time Travel experience. I revisited San Francisco where I had been when I was 16 and 30 years old. I visited friends and we talked about grade school activities, Jr. High School music revelations, high school antics, college adult-prepping actions, and how life has turned out over those past 25+ years. Oh, I should mention that I had not seen most of these friends since college or even farther back. I made the effort to go see them. Being an introvert, that was a strange effort, but it was one of the coolest, and most enlightening activities I have ever been through.
In addition to seeing friends from my younger days (I didn’t say “old” friends), I visited with two contemporary friends Roger Whitney/The Retirement Answer Man, and J.D. Roth/Get Rich Slowly.
I saw five friends, three youth and two contemporaries in 12 days. I also drove for hours and hours after our visits giving me so much time to think about our discussions. They are all doing great. Each has different life craziness, but I learned so much from each one. I will be able to keep in touch with each friend and their families as we all continue to move through life.
My FIRE gave me the ability to travel back in time and then back to the present, for a present in and of itself.
I leave you with one word: RECONNECT
*** Nothing in this article is to be construed as financial advice. I am not a financial planner, nor do I pretend to be. You should always consult your own professional when seeking advice. This post is not a piece of literary mastery, just a random thought I had.