MsSindy, this is such an important question! The sooner you realize how tragic and fleeting life can be, the earlier you will discover the magic of every single day.
I call myself a lucky girl because I had cancer when I was 22. I was on a great career path, worked like a fiend and had high aspirations. The cancer experience made me re-evaluate everything in my life. I instantly understood that I didn't want to be a wage slave forever. I had FIRE in my belly before I knew what FIRE was. I decided that I wanted to enjoy my friends and family, travel and buy a house. Plus, I always wanted enough of a cushion to protect myself in case of recurrence. By age 28, I had over a year's salary in the bank. I bought my first house at age 30 and set a goal to see all 50 states by 40. I did both by being creative and stretching every buck, while continuing to save for my escape from the rat race. I never found "the one", but I had fun looking!
In my forties, when all my friends were married with kids and living under the tyranny of the school calendar, I moved to a new area. I bought a couple of houses. I started volunteering in my community. I made a number of older friends who were free to play and travel. I always asked them about how they achieved their retirements and what they would have done differently. I also expanded my travels to the wider world, as my new friends were eager to fill in some of the blanks on their lists. I continued dating and hoping to find a good partner. I honed my skills in frugal, but fun living. I spent 12 days in Hawaii for under $200 out-of-pocket. I once flew eight flights in a single day to earn two free RT tickets and a slew of other perks. I did that sort of thing more than once, but that was the craziest one. I wasn't the married mom I longed to be, but more than once my married friends told me they wanted my life. I continued to save and finally learned how to invest. I had saved enough to FIRE, but was reluctant to pull the trigger, due to the expense and virtual unavailability of health care coverage. (I also have a congenital heart condition, so I was a pariah.)
In my fifties, I finally married a wonderful man. He has incredible health care coverage, and savings to match my own. I was finally able to pull the trigger and quit my corporate job. He loves his no-stress job. He walks to work and will have a defined benefit pension with lifetime healthcare coverage in seven years. These days, when we open our monthly investment statements, we laugh out loud. Our gains are frequently more than either of us have ever earned in a single month. (Note: Neither of us was a six-figure income earner and we have always lived in high COLAs.)
These last few years have been better than I ever imagined. However, last Sunday we hosted a Celebration of Life for one of my old friends. He is the third of my older group of friends to pass away. Each of them lived long and varied lives full of family, friends and travel. None of them had to worry about money at the end. They will be missed greatly, but I'm glad I was able to have them in my life and learn so much from them.
I could go on and on (okay, I already have), but the point is to enjoy every single day while being as frugal as possible. Live for today with a plan for tomorrow. All of the things you read on blogs such as this really, really work. And now that people like Pete and JD have held up their lights to show the way, it is so much easier than ever before. I wake up every morning with a smile on my face and hope to die the same way. A long time from now, of course.