I was out for a walk this past week, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine while I get my daily 10,000 steps in. I came across a little neighborhood park I'd never seen, with two dog statues facing each other at the entrance. It was the middle of the day, and there was no one else around. I had the place to myself.
I sat down on a bench to rest for a minute, appreciating the sun shining through the leaves above. I was feeling contented and happy for myself and sorry for everyone stuck inside at work on this beautiful day.
That was when I had an epiphany: if you're doing it right, the best parts of FIRE support each other and feed into each other.
Because I saved enough money to retire early, I don't have a job to stress me out, so I'm calmer and I sleep better.
Because I don't have to spend forty-plus hours a week sitting at a desk, I can devote plenty of time to exercise, long walks outdoors, tending to my garden, and other physical activity that makes my body healthier.
I have all day to plan, shop, and cook meals at home, which are cheaper and more nutritious than takeout or prepackaged "convenience" foods loaded with salt and sugar.
All these things knit together in a self-reinforcing mesh. This means that a happy, healthy, low-cost life is almost effortless for me; it's literally the path of least resistance.
It goes the other way, too.
People with debt and bills piling up have to take whatever job they can get, even if the pay is low, the commute is horrible, or the hours are long. They have to put up with asshole bosses and rude customers.
People who spend most of their waking hours at work have little time left over to exercise, cook, and do other things that are good for them. When the day is done, they're burned out and just want to sit on the couch watching TV. Or they engage in retail therapy, buying stuff they don't need for a quick dopamine hit, but putting themselves even further behind in the long run.
All of these things together raise their stress levels and decrease their health. It's a self-reinforcing mesh, but in a negative direction.
That's why the hardest part of FIRE is getting started. It takes effort to switch from one direction to the other. At the very beginning, it's like climbing a mountain. But the closer you get, the more it seems like you're going downhill. When FIRE is near, petty bullshit just slides off your back. The last few years of my work life were noticeably less stressful, because I knew I wouldn't have to be there much longer.
