To be exact, March 2 is my birthday, which is tomorrow. I’m past 40 now, going on 42. I didn’t get married until I was 34, and didn’t have a child until I was 39. I’ve owned my 1971 Mach I Mustang for 20 years, that’s more than half it’s life to date. I have my own home, my wife and I built it ourselves, with a little help, in 2002 moving in at the end of 2003. I have a good job, it pays well and doesn’t create a lot of stress all the time. I’m again going to school, aiming for a Bachelors in Organizational Management. I’m doing okay.
If I compare myself to where my dad was when he was 42, I’m probably doing okay. It’s hard to judge for sure because I’m living my life and not his. All I can do is try and remember where he was at, and how much wealth of family he had. That would have been a little over 20 years ago. As I recall, he was pretty comfortable, just finished up school for a new career after having retired from the Active Air Force. He had a great house, a couple of out-buildings, a wife and two kids. He had supported us through a lot of ups and downs, sometimes taking jobs he really didn’t want to, but would pay the bills. Now he owns a motor-home and travels with my mom on occasion. He still works on planes for the Air National Guard, pretty much on a small part-time basis and sometimes on call.
Where do I want to be in the next 20 years? I’d like to be in the same place I wanted to be 20 years ago, independently wealthy, retired and just doing the things I want to do without having to work for anyone else. I don’t think that’s going to happen though, so I need to be a bit more realistic in my goals.
I would like to have my barn built. It’s a cross between a farming barn with storage loft and large open area for machinery, and garage/shop for working on cars, and a wood shop. My current plan is about 40’x60′, has parking for three cars, a boat with tow rig and an RV. I’d like to inherit the RV from my parents, but by that time it might not be a good deal anymore. It will have a lift, overhead air and power, and network/Internet access. It would be fully insulated, with a 200 Amp service, furnace and heat pump. I’d plumb it for water so I could run a washing machine. I’d put in a dryer, an oven and any other standard appliances that my wife wouldn’t normally let me use in the house. I’d paint it red, so it looked proper as a barn, and I’d probably put a green roof on it, to match the house, though blue might be better so it doesn’t look like Christmas year-round.
I would like to have my yard done. I want to put in lots of grass, nice green lawn grass. I’d put in some fruit trees and some wind breaks. The driveway needs work too, so it’s smoother without all the dips and rises, and drains water better. My wife had a plan for a really nice garden, with a walking area among trees and bushes, and another area for vegetables. It’s quite nice.
I would like to be retired, and at the age of 62 I will then be eligible to draw from my retirement with the Air National Guard. I’d like to draw it sooner, but I was never active duty long enough to draw retirement immediately. I would like to be in a financial position that precludes me from working. I wouldn’t mind doing some work, more as a hobby though, where pay didn’t matter so much, but was available.
Overall, it sounds a lot like how my dad has grown. He didn’t get an advanced degree till he was retired from the Air Force, and didn’t get his shop finished until later. He’s still married and his kids are all local. He’s doing very well. In the end, that’s all I need, and all I should really want: a wife and child who love me and a good place to live.
Asa Jay
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