Did You Get the Memo

[johnnyjohnson2043]

Yes I got the memo. It was on my desk this morning when I got to work and it made my heart ache for the trail. It's not important what the memo said (half the time they don't pertain to me anyways) but I long for a memo-free life of hiking and exploring. How do people do it; sit at a desk all day and enjoy being there. Then again, how do some people give up that life of stability for one of wandering. I have a friend that works here and there just long enough to save up enough money for his next adventure and my cousin works odd jobs while living in a tiny house in the mountains of California. Perhaps I need to do some soul searching. I'm planning on a thru-hike of the AT and perhaps the FT next year but I wonder about what comes next. Ugh.

Sorry, don't mean to let out my anxiety on here but I was wondering how many of you have just gone for it; given it all up and taken that leap into instability and exploration. I've been doing a little better at this (I spent a week in Vietnam -- not nearly long enough to truly enjoy it -- and I'll be in Guatemala at the end of this month) but I'm still stuck in the 9-5 grind.

Thanks for any advice you can offer...

[bigcranky]

I feel ya, man. My wife can take full retirement in four years, and I can go on phased retirement then. I know that four years will pass quickly (it's been four years since our LT e2e hike, and it seems like yesterday) - but, right now it feels like a long time to wait.

[gravityman]

Who gets memos any more?

[daddytwosticks]

263 days, but who's counting?

[tommaloney]

Coming soon...

[Hikes in Rain]

I did get the memo. Curiously, it was in the form of a Social Security statement. For once, I looked at it. The numbers were unusual; so I looked at my pension numbers. Hmm....simple addition, the numbers added up to more than I was making at the time. I was having lots of fun with my job; suddenly, I noticed I wasn't having as much fun as I'd thought I was.

A couple of weeks later, I was retired!

[ihavea4]

I feel the same way... my wife and I tried living in a mountain town in Colorado, but being in our 30s, it was too hard to find year round jobs that still allowed us to get outside enough. so now we're back to the 9-5....

I'd love to be an entrepreneur and make a living with hiking related stuff, but that's incredibly difficult it seems.

All that to say you're not alone!

[4shot]

How do people do it; sit at a desk all day and enjoy being there. Then again, how do some people give up that life of stability for one of wandering. .

Sorry, don't mean to let out my anxiety on here but I was wondering how many of you have just gone for it; given it all up and taken that leap into instability and exploration. .

I'll take a stab at the questions you asked.

1) First of all, a he%% of a lot people don't enjoy it like you might think. they just pretend to because they have bills and like to eat.
2) How does one give it up? If you are not part of the group who can suck it up, then one day you will finally get the memo that is equivalent to the proverbial stra that broke the camel's back
3) as far as how many gave it all up, I can't say for sure but I was one of them. Best decision I ever made. I didn't quit to go on a thru hike, I quit because of the feelings that you allude to. after that, then I decided to thru hike. My time was no longer wasted on memos. Been hiking ever since, although for considerably shorter distances.Fortunately, i had manged my money well or I might have been one of those guys at your company pretending to like what I do and silently counting down the days and the years.

[somers515]

. . . I long for a memo-free life of hiking and exploring. How do people do it; sit at a desk all day and enjoy being there. . . .
Thanks for any advice you can offer...

Based on your post, I would be surprised if you didn't find this website very helpful. I quit my job well before normal retirement age - you could do it too. It's all a question of the priorities you set for yourself. Good luck on your journey!

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/...one-blog-post/

[MuddyWaters]

Life is about balance.
Life is also about experiences and positive relationships, not possessions

When you work for a living as everyone needs to do
You are trading your limited time on this Earth , for money.
Everyday that passes is one you can never get back.

Some never realize this until it's too late.

It has to be balanced because you have to provide for yourself and family. But you also need to get as many enriching experiences as you can while you're here. Where that balance point is is different for everybody depending on their aspirations and their income

I've known many multi-millionaires that worked into their late 60s-early70s. They equated success in life with success at what they did for a living. Not.....the.....same.....thing. they love the Power Trip of working did not want to give it up.

One schmuck wrote his own obituary. It was basically a resume of his work history. It mentioned meeting his wife while he was working in South America. .. what it failed to mention was he was still married to his first wife at the time..... And his kids hated his guts for it and didnt have anything to do with him after. I don't know if this guy was trying to convince himself that he had had a wonderful life or not... . But people that knew him and worked with him knew that he was an a hole, and snickered at his obituary.

A good question is always..... What will people say about you when you're gone?


You don't have to be a rich powerful executive to get lost in your work-life identity. I can recall a story of a wage roll worker that wanted to be buried in his work uniform and have his funeral procession go through the plant. He confused his personal identity with his work identity as well. ( Nope funeral was not allowed to go to thru the plant site).

Sad truth..... Within a couple of days of walking out the door everybody at your work forgets about you..... vast majority are your coworkers...... Not your friends....... Not your family.


I personally derailed my career track when my kids started playing competitive travel Sports. It was a conscious decision. Couldn't do both. Leaving at noon on Friday traveling all over the country on the weekends getting back late Sunday night showing up late on Monday morning. Leaving early several days a week to get them to practice. Do it all again all summer long. Parts of spring and fall as well.

Was it worth it? I think so for me. We had a blast for 11 yrs. Made great friends. And both my kids play college sports. My son still on a D1 team. I can't wait to have grandkids one day and do it all over again with them.

Downsides? You can't do it all not enough time. My kids didn't get the same level of experiences with Hunting Fishing and Outdoor Pursuits that I did Growing Up. Eventually I had to stop hunting all together.

Does it gnaw at me when I see less qualified people in positions I could be doing much better? A little. But, I also will take off and go hike for 3 weeks plus every year and I couldn't have done that if I stayed on the same track either. And I have enough money, mainly cuz I really don't want anything. Or, at least that's what I tell myself. What I really want is time to do more things that I want to do.

[Runner2017]

“From adolescence to retirement each 24-hour cycle repeats the same shattering bombardment, like bullets hitting a window: mechanical repetition, time-which-is-money, submission to bosses, boredom, exhaustion. From the butchering of youth’s energy to the gaping wound of old age, life cracks in every direction under the blows of forced labour. Never before has a civilization reached such a degree of contempt for life; never before has a generation, drowned in mortification, felt such a rage to live.”

- Raoul Vaneigem, The Revolution of Everyday Life (1967)

[rocketsocks]

Memo to OP

dont over think it...Stop
hike when you can...Stop
quit your job and go hike...oh Stop
balance is the key to life

[johnnyjohnson2043]

“From adolescence to retirement each 24-hour cycle repeats the same shattering bombardment, like bullets hitting a window: mechanical repetition, time-which-is-money, submission to bosses, boredom, exhaustion. From the butchering of youth’s energy to the gaping wound of old age, life cracks in every direction under the blows of forced labour. Never before has a civilization reached such a degree of contempt for life; never before has a generation, drowned in mortification, felt such a rage to live.”

- Raoul Vaneigem, The Revolution of Everyday Life (1967)

I like that quote. It explains alot. I'll have to check this book out. Thanks!

[johnnyjohnson2043]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and guidance. I'm working on an online business that will hopefully give me more freedom in the future but these things take time. I'm hoping to "retire" before I'm too old. Haha. My body needs to be active and a desk job is just not doing it for me. Maybe I'll take some time off here soon and see if I can get some enjoyment out of my life for once.

[TexasBob]

Yes I got the memo. It was on my desk this morning when I got to work and it made my heart ache for the trail. It's not important what the memo said (half the time they don't pertain to me anyways) but I long for a memo-free life of hiking and exploring. How do people do it; sit at a desk all day and enjoy being there. Then again, how do some people give up that life of stability for one of wandering. I have a friend that works here and there just long enough to save up enough money for his next adventure and my cousin works odd jobs while living in a tiny house in the mountains of California. Perhaps I need to do some soul searching. I'm planning on a thru-hike of the AT and perhaps the FT next year but I wonder about what comes next. Ugh.

Sorry, don't mean to let out my anxiety on here but I was wondering how many of you have just gone for it; given it all up and taken that leap into instability and exploration. I've been doing a little better at this (I spent a week in Vietnam -- not nearly long enough to truly enjoy it -- and I'll be in Guatemala at the end of this month) but I'm still stuck in the 9-5 grind.

Thanks for any advice you can offer...

I think your post basically boils down to "I'd rather be playing than working." I think most people would as well. Maybe what you need to do is find a job that you actually enjoy or at least you find fulfilling. That way your time spent at work (and you will have to do some kind of work) will seem more worthwhile and you won't find life so miserable when you are not off on your travels.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Yes I got the memo. It was on my desk this morning when I got to work and it made my heart ache for the trail. It's not important what the memo said (half the time they don't pertain to me anyways) but I long for a memo-free life of hiking and exploring. How do people do it; sit at a desk all day and enjoy being there. Then again, how do some people give up that life of stability for one of wandering. I have a friend that works here and there just long enough to save up enough money for his next adventure and my cousin works odd jobs while living in a tiny house in the mountains of California. Perhaps I need to do some soul searching. I'm planning on a thru-hike of the AT and perhaps the FT next year but I wonder about what comes next. Ugh.

Sorry, don't mean to let out my anxiety on here but I was wondering how many of you have just gone for it; given it all up and taken that leap into instability and exploration. I've been doing a little better at this (I spent a week in Vietnam -- not nearly long enough to truly enjoy it -- and I'll be in Guatemala at the end of this month) but I'm still stuck in the 9-5 grind.

Thanks for any advice you can offer...

Your post seems like a good segway to the Mr. Money Mustache financial independence blog. If you’re not familiar with it then I suggest you give it a read. It offers some great advice for both perspective and for long term goals.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/...one-blog-post/
I don’t think many of us actually enjoy sitting behind an office desk, we do it because we need to in order to maintain the lives we’ve built. Having a game plan and an end goal that is more than jist some vague notion of retiring at 70 is a huge help.

[johnnyjohnson2043]

Your post seems like a good segway to the Mr. Money Mustache financial independence blog. If you’re not familiar with it then I suggest you give it a read. It offers some great advice for both perspective and for long term goals.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/...one-blog-post/
I don’t think many of us actually enjoy sitting behind an office desk, we do it because we need to in order to maintain the lives we’ve built. Having a game plan and an end goal that is more than jist some vague notion of retiring at 70 is a huge help.

You're the second person that's mentioned this "Mr. Money" Blog. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!