You never know... something may change.

And you can't go... 

6-7 months on.. those words haunt me.  I was at thanksgiving dinner with some family and extended family.  My wives cousin's husband has been fighting cancer.  He's a guy my age, with kids my kids age.  He has a thriving real estate business.   A year ago he started with having headaches.  One day he became very dizzy and went to the ER.  Two days later they pulled a size able tumor out of his head.  He's on borrowed time.  Experimental treatments and aggressive therapies have kept him alive so far, but we know it will happen soon.  Crappy story.

Anyways, He was in a relatively good health and spirits at Thanksgiving and we were talking about a trip to the boundary waters I was thinking about for the upcoming summer.  I relayed how I had tentatively planned one for this past summer but work and other family duties got in the way.  This guy.. A man who is living with a time bomb in his head.. Turns to me; directly and sincerity says.. "You should do this.  You never know something may chance and you'll never be able to go"...

Anyways.. It's been eating at me since then..  I keep thinking about all the things I put off because I don't have 100% the time or 100% the money.  But who knows if we will ever have all the time or the money.  

So.. Here's my takeaway. I've been busting my ass allowing my wife to stay home while growing my career.  Time to invest, just a little bit of money in myself..  

1. going back to gym..  I'm fat and the gout ain't helping.

2. fun car..

3. profit?

time to get moving... ain't no time like the present..

Go for it. As i look back on my life i dont regret the times ive failed, i regret the chances i didnt take.

Growing up we went all kinds of places. We didn't have all the money or all the time. We made short trips and I got to see a lot of cool things that don't exist anymore other than some 110 photos and my memory. Dad always said that he'd rather go and see something that interested him for 5 minutes than to wait his entire life to have enough money or time to "do it right". My aunt is one who "I won't go if I can't take my time and enjoy it." She's been past Cincinatti once in her life, that was to fly to Texas to see her older sister. She complains that she's never gotten to go and see things (she's now in her 60's and health is starting to slip). I don't want that. 

Go. Do. Enjoy. We only get one go around on this crazy planet. Make sure to enjoy it. 

Go while you have the health to enjoy what you want too do , 

Cut back and stay at Motel 6 etc and use the money you saved from not going to the Hilton to stay another day or two.,

Same as eating , cheap out at breakfast and lunch and  splurge a little for dinner, 

I am probably too cheap sometimes but I have been to a lot of places I could not afford if I stayed at more expensive places.....

And  try and wrap something you always wanted to do in the Vacation ,  F1 race , a big car show or swap meet , Frankfurt auto show  etc

But as Nike says , Just do it !

In reply to bobzilla :

Explains why you get along with cruising so well.  I know we don't get to spend the lots of time at any location.  But it does allow you to get out and see/do stuff you normally would not do.  

And while our travel has actually taken away from retirement $$, we've enjoyed it, and still have kept on track for a happy retirement.  I've seen and know way to many people who have passed before they retired, or immediately after.  All that work, and too many dreams not done....

Like bob said, FbC- Go, Do, Enjoy.  Whatever it is.  

alfadriver said:

 

And while our travel has actually taken away from retirement $$, we've enjoyed it, and still have kept on track for a happy retirement.  I've seen and know way to many people who have passed before they retired, or immediately after.  All that work, and too many dreams not done....

 

That's kinda the deal.  I've been socking away so much for a retirement..  Kids private school etc.. that I've neglected things..  time to do before father time punches my ticket.

It feels like American society encourages us to put things off.  Work hard all the time.  Save for everything for retirement, etc.  I put off taking vacations and traveling for most of my late 20s and much of my 30s.  I always needed to save more money or was too busy at work.  Then my FIL died of Cancer before even making it to retirment age.  Then my Mother died of cancer a couple years later, basically right at retirement.  This hit me pretty hard and realized I was wasting too much time working, not taking care of myself, and probably was never going to live to do the things I want to do.  My mother's cancer diagnosis really spurred me to try (and often fail) to take better care of myself.  I also now take at least one real vacation every year.    

We were on our way back from a spring vacation to the Great Smokey Mountains NP last week when my wife received news that her cousin just underwent emergency surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his colon.  He is 48.  

Don't go nuts and blow your nest egg, But Go.  Do it now.

You don't really know the right answer until it's all done. Which sucks. Do I race cars now or after I put my kids through school? And it's not even the money, but time spent on me is time not spent on the family. I assume I'll still be healthy wealth and wise when my kids are out on their own. Who knows. 

This is why I started autocross a year ago. I'm 63. I'm on my second miata.

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :

GET SOME!!!

seriously, it's hearing of situations like this that has me building a challenge car, spending $3k to take the fam to FL for spring break, etc.  

The real truth of life is you have no idea when you will go, there is no magical hollywood timer ticking down.

That's exactly why I am where I am now. You only get one chance. I had absolutely no idea if anything was going to work. It could have failed spectacularly.  Almost has. But, were making it. I dont like what ifs. 

(not) WilD (Matt) said

Don't go nuts and blow your nest egg, But Go.  Do it now.

Yup. Agree. I want $4k Miata thing and a small fishing boat and to lift weight again.  The trips with kids is taking care of itself. Don’t tell them but I’m getting a bonus this year and then taking the kids to Disney. 

Took my wife to Barcelona this year.  It was a work trip for me but at cost me only food. 

Life's short and I'm getting older every day. This is why I eat dessert first. If I get much older I won't even buy green bananas 

I'm going to get back  onto flying. Hell or high water.  There are people I want to take up. They deserve to feel the magic that I know so well.

Mom saved her whole life for retirement, started fighting cancer in 1994.

Fast forward to 2014, she kept saying she would travel when she got better. That never happened. Made it all the way to Christmas eve, 2014.

She never travelled, I didn't travel either until she died at 64 years old.

Now, I travel at least once a year. Cruise or a trip somewhere and we always take a bit of mom's ashes with us. So far she's in various spots halfway across Canada, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Amsterdam. Even in a water ride at Disneyland. 

Tomorrow isn't promised, make sure you do some stuff now in case you don't make it.

In reply to gearheadmb :

Let me count the times.

When I was a kid, I was working for my Dad's company. There was a gentleman that worked for him. He was a hard working guy. worked all the extra hours allowed. Drove boring cars. He saved every spare dime for a spectacular retirement he had all planned out. He died of a massive heart attack 2 months after retirement. 

That left a lasting impression on me and my life. I'm going to retire a lot poorer than I could have, but I have enjoyed my entire life so far. I could be diagnosed with cancer tomorrow and not feel like I had spent all of my life working. I could work 80 hours a week, sleep in hotel rooms half the time, be a slave to the system and die a rich man, but that's not for me. I'm too busy doing the fun stuff and cat food really doesn't taste that bad. 

Do it. Spend the money. Have the fun. Live the life. 

ShawnG said:

Mom saved her whole life for retirement, started fighting cancer in 1994.

Fast forward to 2014, she kept saying she would travel when she got better. That never happened. Made it all the way to Christmas eve, 2014.

She never travelled, I didn't travel either until she died at 64 years old.

Now, I travel at least once a year. Cruise or a trip somewhere and we always take a bit of mom's ashes with us. So far she's in various spots halfway across Canada, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Amsterdam. Even in a water ride at Disneyland. 

Tomorrow isn't promised, make sure you do some stuff now in case you don't make it.

Kinda hits me in the feels because my mom died of cancer a month after her 60th birthday. She wanted to go to a casino after she was told she was terminal and didn't feel good enough for the 3 hour trip so she kept saying later. Later never came, I never got to even fire off the fireworks that I got her for 4th of July.

It's actually the reason why I started a challenge car. It was something for me and my dad to work on after she passed

Looks like he's going into hospice this week or early next. Sad face. 

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :

Sad face indeed.  I’m sorry, man.

DEFINITELY do it. It's eating at me that my current position robs me of weekends which is when the fun and cool events are to enjoy with friends, it's a primary reason that I'm actively looking. Don't wait, don't stop, don't make excuses, just get after it. I spent so much time at the gym, in the pool, on the rowing machine, on the handbike and then finally on a custom built bike that I ended up qualifying for Kona. A minor setback kept me from making the trip (which almost resulted in attending the challenge instead last year, but I did get to Radwood Philly at least), but the journey to getting to the point was worthwhile and has sustained me while I battle depression and has in large part kept me from going to a dark place. Invest in yourself and chase something, it's probably the healthiest thing that was can do for ourselves as adults. 

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :

Sad news. I'm sorry to hear this. 

I’m so sorry to hear that :(

Oh, man. Do something now for the memories. Cars, physical things, whatever, they don't last. (I know that runs counter to the topics discussed here, but good memories do last. I'm seventy and I can confirm that). Creating memories is far better than accumulating cars and projects. Do something fun now. You won't regret it.