Nature is not a place to visit; it is home.
You and only you are in control of you and only you.
Years at Shaver’s Creek: 2006–2010
Positions Held: Public Information Director
Current Company/Organization: Retired – Columnist for StateCollege.com
I retired from the hotel business the day I turned 55; my wife and I flew off that day for a 3-month New Zealand tour. No kids/pets; we’re entirely mobile. As with anything, that’s a positive and a negative. It allowed us to retire early and allows us the freedom to roam wherever and whenever we want. On the other hand, we didn’t experience the joy we see in other parents of raising kids and watching them become accomplished adults—and won’t have someone who will care for us later.
I do recommend retirement to anyone. Having fewer cares in the world is relaxing and comforting. It’s OK to be purposeless for a time. Being outdoors, especially trout fishing, is now something that can be whenever I wish and the weather allows. Next month, I’ll catch my 25,000th trout. When I was a teenager and had already become an accomplished fisherman, I set goals to one day catch 100 trout in a day, 1,000 in a year, and 10,000 in my lifetime. I wish everyone the feeling of setting what seemed like astoundingly high goals and then far surpassing all of them. It is entirely satisfying.