Most people retire gradually. They reduce their hours, ease into hobbies, maybe start gardening or develop a deep emotional bond with the Home Depot paint aisle. We skipped all that and went straight to retiring at 50—which, looking back, might have been the most responsible irresponsible decision we’ve ever made.

Phase One was not folding laundry at 10 a.m. or taking the odd Tuesday golf lesson. Our Phase One was, “Let’s go see the whole world. All of it.” And so we did. Two years of airports, passport stamps, and suitcases that technically never got unpacked. Some people collect fridge magnets; we collected boarding passes and foreign SIM cards. At one point, I’m pretty sure we forgot where we lived.

Then, after thousands of miles and a questionable number of pastries, we returned home… and Phase Two quietly showed up wearing slippers and asking, “Sooooo now what?”

Turns out, retirement without structure is like being given unlimited free time with no instructions. You start thinking very serious thoughts like:

• Should I join a club?
• Should we learn something new?
• How many days in a row is it acceptable to wear elastic-waist pants?

Eventually, Phase Three arrived, which is the “enthusiastic experimentation” period. We signed up for things. Classes, volunteering gigs, programs, activities—we were ambitious, hopeful, and slightly delusional. Then came the part where we selectively cancelled half of them, usually within an hour of deciding it was too rainy, too early, or too involving of other people.

For the record, retirement sign-ups should always come with a cooling-off period.

Somewhere along the way, we drifted into our version of Phase Four—not the serene, Zen version the experts talk about. More like:

• Working part-time because it makes us feel useful
• Volunteering because it actually feels good
• Saying yes when we want to
• Saying “let’s circle back” when we don’t
• And scheduling naps without apology

We still dabble in new things, but we do it strategically—meaning we wait to see if there’s parking.

So really, we’re sitting between Stage Three and Stage Four like two semi-committed hobbyists with a flexible social calendar. We’re not fully retired, but we’re not fully busy either. It’s a balanced space where we get to contribute, experiment, and—when needed—pretend we never signed up.

After traveling the world, we’ve realized something important:
sometimes meaning is found in adventure…
and sometimes it’s found while deciding whether you feel like talking to anyone today.

Right now, we’re choosing selectively.
Purposefully.
Occasionally spontaneously.

And with full permission to cancel plans at any moment.

Honestly? It’s the best phase we’ve been in yet.