Like a fine wine... I just get better with age...  :)

For the last few years I have talked about the next phase of my life as my "second life". Now I know there is a huge virtual reality group that came along a while back and made that phrase quite famous, but I came up with it first, so this is my interpretation of what that means to me.

For me, my "second life" denoted what my "intentional life" would be once I was able to leave the corporate/structured work life and live a life that I chose based more on my wants/needs. That life (now this life) was to be a life with much more freedom. My second life was a life that didn't have to be perfect (there is no such thing) but I wanted to live, really live before I leave this earth.

I have found that most of my adult life has been lived to take care of others (and myself) and factored into that endeavor, to a smaller degree but still a component was measuring up to the societal acceptance and approval. At 51, I am at a place in my life that only my monthly living bills need to be paid consistently. Thankfully, I have paid off my debt and am only responsible for myself now with my only child being a grown man on his own. Therefore, my financial needs are modest. Also thankfully, I own my vehicle (not the bank) and I don't need a lot of material things to be happy. What I do need and for the most part want, I pretty much have at this point. I am a gadget gal, love technologies' fun and helpful delights. But I don't have to rush out to get the newest glossy, glitzy, updated versions! So today, I am thankful for the preparations I have made (paying off debt, paying off vehicle, buying most of the things I need to take care of myself well with my "second life" plans) as well as having the mindset to move into a lifestyle in which I personally find more freedom, as opposed to staying within the accepted societal expectations only.

In June/2009 I finally left my latest several year "corporate gig" as the overall operations, office and marketing manager of a professional tax consulting/tax law firm, to embrace simpler choices in my own life. This phase of my life has been something I have sought and planned in abstract for the last 10 years, and in more specific terms for the last 2+ years. This past couple years I have literally planned what I needed to full-time Van Dwell. (What RVers often refer to as "full-timing").