I'm self-employed. I make my own schedule, manage my own projects, and (kinda) choose my own clients. I work about 20-30 hours per week. It's not stressful, and I can always dial things down if it gets to be too much.
I play my guitar, read, ride my bike, and play with my two-year-old son when I want to.
I don't live off investments, but I've got five figures of f-you money, five figures of home equity, and the cash flow from my work and my wife's job is way more than we need. We save and invest plenty.
I'm 31. This has been my situation for several years now (minus the toddler, of course).
It just occurred to me that my life might be what a lot of people describe as semi-retired. Is it?
To me, this is just what normal means.