Gratitude while FIRE'd

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Another year has come and gone. Last November while watching the sumo tournament, Asanoyama said something that caught my attention. He's been gone from the very top division for sometime and I was happy to see him back. He did well and when he was interviewed after getting a winning record, he said: A lot has happened a long the way, the tournament isn't over yet. So I want to say focused, keep my gratitude in mind and continue giving my best. That is a good attitude to cultivate - an attitude of gratitude.  Last Monday, I stopped at a counter to do a pickup and I realized that people get up each day to show up to work. Later during the week, I stopped by the store to look for replacement bulbs and on my way back to the garage, I saw a worker helping a customer with loading their car and what I felt was gratitude to God. God has been good to me.  I think that sometimes, it's easy to forget the good we have but I think it is important to focus on the good we have, on the bl...
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Things to do when you Retire or FIRE: Volunteer

 I had someone ask: what do you do with your time? when I mentioned that I wasn't working. That took some maneuvering to get out of. But this is a question people ask and there are people who post asking what people do with their time when they FIRE (Financial Independence and Retire Early) at a young age. I used to wonder what the old people retiring would do with that time and thought they would get bored. Here is one suggesting for those who are wondering what to do when you Retire Early: Volunteer. 

A friend texted a picture of us from an event we volunteered at. Her timing was perfect because I was feeling around the moment that I'm not "serving" enough and was feeling a "certain way" about it. She shared the flyer for an event that needed volunteers to distribute food. I've been wanting to volunteer for again for some time now but I don't feel like volunteering in a clinical capacity. My volunteer activities in the last decade or so have been in non-clinical types of activities. 

This morning, I got a chance to go and it was fun. It was cold but it was fun. The laughter, catching up, getting to see some old faces I had not seen in a while, sharing information, meeting new people, finding out who has moved where and what not. Overall, I think it was time well spent. I thought of going shopping afterwards but it looks like lots of people are out today. I actually feel refreshed, hence taking time time to write. (Photo: courtesy of one of the people I caught up with who mentioned he had retired.)

Looking back at my experience today, Here are my 

5 reasons to Volunteer when FIRE'd:

It is fun and gives joy. It's not just enjoying yourself doing the activity - which I did - but it was also standing there and cracking jokes with my Namesake. I have not seen her in a while. I realized that it gives me joy to volunteer. I'm not even tired from what I went to do or being out in the cold, I feel refreshed.

It's an opportunity to meet new people: I got to meet some interesting people. It wasn't just a matter of chatting with them but it was a matter of see you at ... or are you coming to .... For those of you who volunteer while still working, it can make for great career connection. And it can also make for discovering who has started a new business. I discovered one had retired and opened his own studio. Good to know. And there were others I met so it wasn't just a matter of catching up with old friends but getting to meet and interact with new people. 

It's a good way to socialize: This is more relevant when most of your friends are busy during the week or with other things. You don't have to wait for them to be off. One of my friends seems to work everyday  but Sunday. And not, she's not a christian. On some Sundays, she works. And others I know work two jobs so they're busy. If you find yourself in that situation, you can still socialize during the week. I used to walk down the street to volunteer and it was usually in a 4-hour slot type of thing. 

Good for your soul: Volunteering not only gives joy, but there are physical and mental health benefits in terms of deriving happiness from the activity, decreased stress and anxiety as well as not being lonely. According to the U.S Surgeon's General Advisory,  Loneliness  " is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day" (https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf). Volunteering helps to combat loneliness. So volunteering is good for your health. 

Personal Fulfillment: I really felt like I was contributing to society and the community doing this. (This blog is another contribution to society😉). It also made me grateful. We ran out of food and I think they had to turn some cars away. Some of the early cars requested stuff for 2 or 3 Families and I think those at the end only got stuff for one family since we were running low. I was very grateful yesterday after watching a show and I'm even more grateful today. I realize even more how much God has done for me and his providence in my life. 

Bonus reason: Volunteers are treated nicely. There were donuts today which I didn't feel like eating but there were other things like popcorn and whatever else they had. The people who came through are grateful for the service and say thank you. I'm at the point where if I'm doing something for someone, I've considered doing it on a volunteer capacity because some people think they can yell at you if they are paying you. When some people realize that you have the freedom of choice to walk away, they treat you nicely. They realize that you are not beholden to them. Why not treat someone nicely regardless of whether they are beholden to you?!🤷

There are many more reason's to volunteer but I hope these encourages all of us to get out there. Even when you are working, you can still volunteer. And if you've reached FIRE and wonder what to do with your time, even if you have simply retired at an older age and wonder what to do in retirement, Volunteering is one way to spend your time. 



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