The path to semi-early retirement

For many years, I was focused on working hard at my job and building my career. No regrets. Even after I had ovarian cancer at age 43, I was still full-speed ahead, and I was annoyed with anyone who even suggested I might want to retire someday. I wanted to be last man standing, the one who turns out the lights. One bad job later, and I was rethinking everything.

What made the job bad? I was treated with arrogant indifference by my boss and his cohorts, and I was bullied by one of his closest aides. Yes, it was just one job out of many great jobs I’ve had in my career, but the experience changed me. I think because of the way I grew up with a certain degree of indifference by my parents, I was expecting validation from work. I always got it because I was good at what I did. Take that away, and I felt empty. My problem, not theirs.

I made it out alive with my soul intact and went onto bigger and better things. I had a really good job and was making enough money to enjoy life’s many offerings, but I had so little time left over. While I was grateful to be earning a solid living, I was treated for breast cancer in 2015, discovering I was positive for the BRCA 1 genetic mutation. It occurred to me if one has some degree of financial stability, perhaps time is more valuable than money.

My time was compromised by a long commute to my job in Silicon Valley – 2.5 hours roundtrip on a bus. A nice bus, for sure, but the ride certainly made for a long day. I was up at 4 a.m., at my desk by 6:30 a.m. and home around 5:30 p.m. if traffic cooperated. Clean up, eat dinner and pretty soon it was time to check emails and go to bed.

The bad job started the ball rolling, but it was a book that sealed the deal. As I was searching for ideas to help me live healthy in spite of the killer commute, I came across The Blue Zones Solution by Dan Buettner. Dan explores the nine countries where people live long and healthy lives, and guess what? They don’t live like us. It’s not like I’m going to move to Costa Rica or Okinawa, but reading about their lifestyles changed my perspective and helped me eat better, too. The recipes alone are worth the price of admission.

Then the voices in my head chimed in with some tough questions. How much money did I really need? When would there be enough? How else might I live my life? What creative pursuits had I abandoned over the years as I put all my efforts into my job? What else could I do? What if I retired with enough money to do whatever I wanted? To explore being a healthy, happy and creative person who works on her own terms? Would I find validation? Would it matter?

We had always been savers, so money, while always a concern, wasn’t the biggest issue. It was my attitude about money that changed. For the first time, I thought maybe there’s such a thing as enough money, and maybe you don’t have to forfeit the rest of your life in exchange for more.

For the next couple of years, my free time was all about planning for the day I could pull the plug, which I did in September 2017 at age 62. If you’re even thinking there’s life after work, you’ll be happy to learn I’ll be sharing some of my planning and money-saving tips on this blog. If you’re still all about the work, that’s OK, too. You just might find a few tips that will help you chart your own path to financial freedom!

Health, Happiness & Cannabis

My name is Donna Pekar. You can check out my About Me page for a quick read, but I thought I’d embellish it a little bit so you can learn more about the topics I’ll be exploring on this blog. I hope you will come along for the ride!

I’m a two-time cancer survivor, retired corporate communications executive, communications strategy consultant and U.S. Army veteran. Although I had a great career, I did not want to do it forever. I envisioned a different sort of life as I aged, focused less on the traditional trappings of success and more on health and happiness. With careful money management and a bit of good luck, I retired in September 2017 at age 62.

Retirement Confidential is my new blog about getting older and making the most of it! Not everyone can retire, and not everyone wants to. But we all age, and my stories are about the journey ahead. How can we age badass and stack the deck for a long, healthy and happy life?

My guiding principles are move more, eat well, look good, stay healthy, keep learning, use cannabis wisely and enjoy simple pleasures.

Perhaps some of my former business colleagues are reading this and going, who knew? Donna is a pothead! However, that is not the case. Although I tried marijuana when I was much younger, it was never my thing. With reluctance, I discovered the benefits of medical marijuana when I had ovarian cancer in 1999. I hated the idea of smoking anything, but smoking pot during chemo probably saved my life. Still, I happily gave it up after I got a clean bill of health and went back to work full speed ahead. I never missed it.

I discovered cannabis again after I retired and was desperate for something to help with long-term pain following a 2015 mastectomy to treat breast cancer. I got approved for using medical marijuana in California, where I live, and I began the great experiment. Cannabis cured the pain, and I’m delighted to have benefited in other unexpected ways. This time around, I learned you don’t have to smoke it, and moderation is key. You don’t have to get high. Sometimes it’s as simple as a cup of cannabis tea.

Seriously – I am as surprised as anyone that pot is part of my aging badass strategy. We’ll have to see what happens with the federal law, but for now, medical cannabis is legal in 29 states and the District of Columbia. And then there’s recreational …

I live in Northern California with Dale, my husband of 39 years. Originally from Southern California, I moved shortly after high school to make a living and see the world. I came back in 2013 for a job and we said, this is it! After moving 23 times over the course of our careers, we love it here and are happy to call it home. Our only baby is Riley, an extra-cute and super-fluffy Maine Coon mix. We are ferocious cooks and love to spend time outdoors.

P.S. Some of you may remember my former blog Rock the Silver, which ran from 2008-2013. Rock the Silver was about going gray with style. Thanks for finding me again! And oh, thank you for your patience as I work through technology challenges and continue to expand my social media presence.