Today was the last day at my job that I’ve held for 8 years.  The decision to quit wasn’t easy– it’s was a great job, working with great people, on problems that make a difference in people’s lives.  However, weighing what I am giving up against the opportunity of exploring the country together as a family has made the decision a whole lot easier.

As I reflect on my decision, I have a stream of thoughts, in no particular order:

  • I’m going to miss the camaraderie of working on such a great team
  • It’s going to be harder to find a sense of purpose in my post-job life (progress at work is an easy way to feel accomplished)
  • I’m really looking forward to spending more time with friends and family
  • I’m looking forward to valuing my free time less– not feeling like it’s such a precious resource that I need to cram as much as I can into every waking moment
  • On the flip-side, I’m worried that I could easily fall into time-wasting habits (TV series, binge blog reading, etc.)
  • I’m not sure yet how to balance the need to be productive against the need to relax and enjoy the moment
  • Not having a “guaranteed” paycheck coming in is still a bit scary for me
  • Time to buy some health insurance *gulp*
  • I can’t wait to kick off our big travel adventure

I’ll be writing more about the Financial Independence aspect of our adventures of at https://www.engineeredself.com, while this blog I intend to keep more focused on family & RV travel.

See you on the road!