Lifes a bitch.
Then payday arrives...

When you were a kid, did you ever resist believing that you would never amount to anything but found out later in life it was true?

I have tried to follow my dreams, but was stomped down every single time.

I ain't got nothing and probably never will.

Good for you, LT.  Thoreau wrote about this too, back in the day.  He went to Harvard, his classmates and peers always talked about becming traders, whalers, so they could get rich then live as poets and artists and do what they really wanted.

Thoreau said "Why wait?" and did what they were scared to do.

I think it's mostly fear, and expectations from your parents that keep people in fear of doing what they really want to do.  It causes a lot of friction in my life, I know.

Ever hear the saying, "If I had known I would have lived this long, I would have taken better care of myself?"

One can also say, "If I had known I would have lived this long, I would have taken better care of my finances."

It's easy to go out in a blaze of glory. The difficulties arise when you live to a ripe old age.

The problem today is people your age, and mine (41), cannot count on the social security leg of the "three legged stool" retirement plan (pension/401k, social security, and non-retirement fund investments). Therefore, it behooves us to focus on finances at an early age. Sure, it may be fun to take the winter off and backpack in Borneo, but if doing so has an impact on your retirement savings, you should probably rethink your plan.

It can be difficult to do what you want in life and be responsible and forward thinking at the same time. And when family and children enter the picture, it's even worse.

Part of growing up is realizing you only have a small window for fun years. Sure, you can extend it, but in the end someone has to pay. Would you want to burden your brothers or sisters with supporting you in your old age simply because you were too busy having fun to address retirement?

If you're smart about it you can have fun now and look forward to a comfortable retirement. You just have to be aware that the fun cannot last forever.

It takes a set that most folks only dream of having.

I did whatever came to mind from the time I was 18 til about 25.  Never made any plans, never saved any money, worked when I had to, the life of the hippy. Wasted years, for the most part.
Had a hell of a good time.
Now I've got a house and land and beaucoup love from my wife and kids.
I wouldn't change a thing.

If it's true that youth is wasted on the young, then retirement is wasted on the old.

I agree with you totally LT.  Live your life now, don't assume you will be around to live it later.

I sometimes regret not partying down when I had lots of chances while in college.  Instead, I worked full time and had a full load.  Now I am single with a pretty good job, but I am too old to party and there is too much work for a good vacation.  21yo girls no longer look my way (except when I drive my shiny car), and those opportunities are gone forever.

If I live to be elderly, I may be thanking my sweet stars that I kept my nose to the grindstone.  The computer industry is not kind to older workers, and in 10 more years it may be hard to find work.  I don't want to be one of those old people at the burger joint saying, "You want fries with that".  

Now heres a thread 1shott thinks about often, What if.......

You see I am cursed, with something called responsability, something that I wonder if it is a good thing or a bad thing..

I am 37, have worked for most of my life, since the 5th grade, paper routes, mowing yards, shoveling snow, and we moved to Oklahoma, lots of Hay Hauling, fence building feeding livestock, worked at livestock auctions, unloaded Semi`s at wharehouses and now for the last 19yrs, I have been a Printing Press mechanic, and for the same company..

Do I wish I had done things different, YOUR DAMN RIGHT, you see when I was 17 things went down hill fast, we lost our house, mom tried to kill herself, mom`s mother and grand father dies days apart from each other, dad could have cared less, was never around, so that left me to take care of things, mom and 2 younger brothers...

So I got the job I have now, and stuck it out, for 8 years I supported my parents and brothers, when I could have went to school, I could not had to many bills to pay, when the few friends I had were out takeing those wild vacations young people do, I could not had to work, mom was in and out of the hospital for all kinds of medical problems, and someone had to take care of my brothers....

Well finally in 1991, I said enough, folks I am out of here, and left for my own, it was either that or die a slow death....

I told my parents, I have done a lot for you guys in the last 8 years, not counting what I did before that by haelping with bills and all, and dad, you have never said Thank you, goodbye, I left...

I have tried to have relationship with my folks and brothers, but alas it is not to be, I thought dad and I could be friends, I helped build up his truck, 73 Dodge with a 440 big block, man thing will thump, but when all was said and done, he said I dont want to see you again, I got what I wanted from you more money, ok no problem goodbye, and thats been it. I have not heard from my brothers in 5 years, I have neices and nephews I have never met, yes it hurts....

This is not a sob story it is life, had I known then how things would be now, I would have left when I was 18 and NEVER LOOKED BACK....

But here I am , 37 still single, dont have alot of time for a family, with the hours I work, I have a Mortage, truck payments, typical bils that people pay, am I happy, sometimes yes very, but sometimes, no not at all......

I feel like I cant leave my job, but I know that if they wanted to they would dump me in heart beat...., I feel trapped in this mortage, I have the house I had built when I thought I was going toget married, so I had a house built, only to have found her screwing a friend of mine... thats another story...

I feel like I have missed out on my youth, and life, but I know shit happens and thats the way it is, nothing can change the past, and my futre, well is dissapointing  to think about.......

The problem with living every day of your life as if it were your last, is if you live, you're screwed.

Either the state, or relatives, will end up supporting you. Either way, it's irresponsible.

It would be great if we could live our lives in this romantic fashion, and some may choose to do so, but in the end someone has to pay for our screwing around.

And that doesn't mean you can't have fun in life. You just have to be smart, and responsible, about it.

I am living life the LT way myself right now too. I am 37 and spending 200% of what I bring in. I figure it is better to see Ireland now when I am young than in a wheelchair when I am old.
I buy the guns I want when we can still own semi-autos. Go Go Grasshoppers!!!!!!

I also find the time to do what I want and try not to put it off for another day.  The only thing I haven't yet done that I have always wanted to do is get my pilot's license, and I have made solid plans to get that ball rolling shortly.  I'll be well on my way by the end of the year.  In fact, by that time, I may have my license.

I'm by no means a rich man.  And neither am I a thrill seeker.  I don't really want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane or race cars or motorcycles.   I'm more into calmer, quieter, slower pastimes that don't require me to make road trips very often.      

But there is one thing that I've had a burning desire to do for many years, and suddenly I'm in a situation where it's actually a possibility, and I'm freaking out over the fact that this dream could come true:

My fantasy would be to, just ONCE, at least, take a flight in an F-16 fighter jet.    And I have a pretty good idea of how to operate one if I can get into one as I have hundreds if not thousands of hours flying the most realistic PC-based flight simulator for the F-16 ever made, Falcon 4.0. (Patched and updated to be very accurate and current.)   I blew almost 300 bucks on the best throttle and joystick system available, and they're exact repro's of the F-16's real throttle and stick.    It's a serious hobby for me.
I'd go so far to say that if the sim program is indeed as accurate as it's reported to be,  then I could fly the real thing NOW.  Maybe not expertly, but well enough to land it safely.

There is a company near me that provides flight training services under contract to the Air Force of a certain northern European country.   This company owns and operates a FLEET of F-16's for this purpose.    And I'm doing some outside work for one of this company's executives.    He knows of my interest in flight and particulary in F-16 flight,  and told me that in about mid July, they will be bringing over a flight of seven D model F-16's from their base in Europe to their base here in FL.   These, being D models, are two seaters.   Four of the seven rear seats will be occupied by the company's media team, with three slots available.   It has been suggested that if I do a good job for the man in question,  I can be in one of those three back seats.  

There is more to it, of course.  Training in essential procedures would be required, which means I'd get some time in their simulators.   I'd need a passport.  I've already applied for one.    The team will fly to Europe on another company plane,  and fly back in the F-16's.  I'd be on that plane if the deal happens.

The return flight (in the F-16's) will be eleven hours long and involve four aerial refuelings.  It's sure to get uncomfortable, (Imagine sitting for eleven hours in a chair that's not very well padded, wearing multiple layers of clothing including a lumpy parachute harness and an even lumpier survival vest.)  but I don't care, not even if I barf up a lung.  I'd be thrilled to take this chance, no matter what.


Of course, if this happens, I'll be getting whatever pictures I can manage of the event!

So of course,  I'm doing the very best I can for the man!


CJ

I know what you're talking about LT, and I agree 100%. I'm trying to save for retirement and all that good bull, but I also refuse to live my life waiting for the eternal regrets. I had the opportunity a few years ago to get involved in a new sport, which I nearly didn't. I was worried about the money, the time, the commitment, the fear. But I decided, what if I look back in 10-20 years and asked myself why the hell didn't I do that when I had the chance, but now I'm too damn old and brittle. I said f*ck it, did it, loved it, and now the memories will last forever. NO REGRETS.

It's all about the journey. The destination will get here sooner than you want, and you can't go back. I don't know who said this, but if you wrote a book about your life, would anyone want to read it? (Chicks dig scars!)

I think he'd take it as an affront if you didn't call him LT.  [}:D]

I lived that way until I was twenty.  I found a chick that I would take and changed my f*cking life for her.  Ten years later I found out I was getting a divorce.  And her bills.  I'm still that way about women, I don't settle.  When I woke up in the hospital after meeting some pine trees at 90 mph, I thought I'd live like that again, but it hasn't happened.  I had a point to make somewhere...

TS

Don't underestimate the power of crowd mentality. We have been conditioned since infancy to "fit in". Free thinking and individuality are not something this society generally advocates. Shame on you!

"The light that burns twice as bright, lasts half as long."

I've done that my entire life.  I'm now 74, and I only have enough money in the bank to live two weeks if I lost my job.  The only thing I own is my house, and I'm probably going to have to give that up to the state to get them to pay for my wife's nursing home ($3,500 per month).  Sixty years of working full-time or more and I've got nothing.  The only thing I've really blown money on just for me was my AR-15 I bought a couple of years ago.z

 When I was young my Mom told me "Whatever you want to do, you had better do it while you are young. Life is short and people who think they are going to do all this stuff when they retire are kidding themselves because most of them will never be able to retire." She was exactly right. I kind of split the difference, but I had a real good time before I settled down. I know a guy named Otis who I trade guns with sometimes. He had big plans for retirement, developed heart trouble, and didn't get to do any of them. Bitter dude. He told me the same thing my Mom did.
 The all time winner of that kind of stuff was a dead guy a few years back. He was dead as a doornail on the floor of his kitchen. Kicked the bucket eating a bowl of cereal. He was about 30. He had a big chart on the wall of his living room. It outlined his 5 year plan, his 10 year plan, other options he was looking at. Nowhere on the chart was there any mention of him dropping dead.
 If you are really wanting to do something, hunt in Alaska, fish wherever, climb Everest, do it now! But you can't have it all so don't be surprised if your retirement sucks if you spend all your time and money living it up. But this is the only life you get, so get some.

I wouldn't of have had it any other way including attending college, now, at age 34.I don't think I would've appreciated it, at age 18-22, as I do now.Would I of have passed? Maybe. I appreciate it much more now.

I live a pretty good life with a good wife and kids. Don't drink much anymore or have any inclinations towards strip bars and unsavory women.

Have had friends who lived hard and burned out quickly by age 25.I kept my nose to the grindstone and consider myself fairly successful.

I don't have any desire to own a larger house or faster car than I have.

I figure by the time I hit 55, I can sell here and buy a good chunk of land somewhere and throw a single-wide on it.My desires aren't material anymore but, my desire for Freedom, is...

Do both, live it up now when you can but stash a little away for later when you might need it. My advice is get out of the "who has the biggest dick" games. Do not try to keep up with the joneses, don't get a new car every other year, don't get the biggest house you can afford. Get what you need, set aside a little something for when the dementia sets in and have fun with the rest. Buy your toys, take your trips, party til you puke but be sure to be at work the next morning and pay those bills on time.

Being an adult is about doing all those things you weren't allowed to as a kid.

Quote "I only have ONE, yes ONE regret. That is not having a family of my own. Otherwise I have
have done everything to this point that I wanted to do in my life."
I said almost exactly the same thing about 10 years ago at a cabin with my friends. Now I have  2 and 8 year old sons. Money will always be "A problem" but I think you answered your own post.
Good luck to you. [;}]

I blame the divine enchilada.

cynic