We love our canoeing but I had a unique experience. This is how canoeing saved my life or at least was the breaking point of putting me back to health.
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Happy Ides of March! 🌕🇪 🇹 2️⃣🗡️
How Canoe Tripping saved my life....
- Thread starter LostCaper
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I have had a similar experience and canoe tripping helped me set my priorities right. It also provided a release from the stresses of a highly responsible job that was taking a toll on both my mental and physical health as well as my family.
Thanks for sharing,
Gerald
Thanks for sharing,
Gerald
I don’t believe we are the only ones that stress was killing. Like my mother, as soon as the snow melted from the river and she could get to the river, she would throw away her pills. Just goes to show that pills is not a fix, the river and canoeing is. Happy paddling in 2019.
Ray
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Kathleen and I had pretty much the same experience. We both held well-paying, some would say enviable professional positions. After stepping away for six months to live and paddle, pretty much all alone in the bush of Canada's western Arctic, we just couldn't do it any more. Kathleen left at the age of 49. I hung in until I was 55. I sometimes still wonder if we should have stayed a bit longer to build a bit bigger retirement nest egg, but the feeling never lasts for more than a few seconds.
I wish I could of held on to my career for a bit longer too but if I did most likely I would be dead. A second though about holding on longer is many people are dying of cancer early in life. If you want to increase your probability that you will have an extensive retirement with good health, you have to retire early. In my opinion, you and your wife made the right choice. You can always pick up a simple little job to make a few extra dollars. I cut firewood, do some snow removal with my tractor which I don't mind. The rest of the time I am on the river.
P.S. It must be great that both you and your wife enjoy paddling and adventuring together. I wish my wife was more adventures. The Atlantic provinces are great but it would be awesome to adventure to the North.
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I'm just sitting here nodding in agreement.. I often think of most (but not all) of the corporate world as a cesspool - the big chunks seem to rise to the top. Looking back, seems like the conievers and deceivers got payback in one form or another.
Retirement is GREAT!!!
Retirement is GREAT!!!
If you think " the corporate world as a cesspool" try the USPS. These are some of the most miserable people in the country. They offered early retirement and I didn't even have to think about it. I saw the heading on the paper and said YES. It got better when I read it.
My job has involved a lot of stress too. Canoeing has actually made it easier to keep working. All I need to do to decompress and get centered is to get out on the local lake or river. Being 15 minutes from either makes it easy.
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I am the newest member of that club...I retired three weeks ago. Due to medical reasons. I really wanted to be able to live a little before I cant any more so at the stroke of 60 I pulled the pin. So far so good but I am having trouble adjusting to the slower pace. I had a lot of responsibility keeping an equipment pool servicable. It is no longer my problem. I will not be able to work and may have limitations on my canoeing but I will carry on as best I can.
I am still in my pyjama phase...lol
Christy
I am still in my pyjama phase...lol
Christy
And, BTW, LC, great point about needless debt. Freedom is refreshing.
I work at a college. I had been in a 12 month position, but I got the opportunity to cut it to 10 months. Sometimes I’ve even gotten 9 month contracts. It’s cost me money, but I’ve used those months to LIVE. I know one man who retired on Friday and died Saturday morning. If that happens to me, I’ve had the opportunity to do many of the things I wanted to do. I still have a Life List of things I want to do, and I keep checking them off. While I look forward to retiring, I look forward to weekends and many weeks off, until then.
I'm just sitting here nodding in agreement.. I often think of most (but not all) of the corporate world as a cesspool - the big chunks seem to rise to the top. Looking back, seems like the conievers and deceivers got payback in one form or another.
Retirement is GREAT!!!
Nicely put.
The culture shock of a slower pace life take awhile to get use to, but once you do, you will become comfortably lazy like me. jk. Enjoy your retirement. Happy paddling.
You are not guaranteed a healthy retirement especially if you kill yourself trying to get there. Therefore I agree.... it's important to find some time to paddle your way to a good life now.
