Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler

In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
|
Relax,
Breathe and Enjoy the Moment
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
Receiving an unexpected gift
Once in our travels around the world, Billy and I made a trip to Laos. There was
a day when we were walking along the Mekong River and taking in the scenery.
Basically, full of wonder, we meandered along until we got to this bend in the
road.
It was here that I felt a strange tug at my heart and looked to my left away
from the river. I practically whispered to Billy, “Something is over there. I’m
curious, let’s go see.”
Quietly, we padded our way on this dusty gap in the jungle, and into an area
where an “ancient” (a woman of so many years) was sitting on the ground with her
granddaughter while the granddaughter made rice rolls.

Peace-filled woman giving us the Wai
greeting
Approaching with smiles on our faces, she gave us the customary “Wai” greeting
of welcome and respect. We returned the same greeting to her. Exchanging the
bits of Thai that we knew, we mostly motioned with our arms, hands and gave
smiles back and forth.
I
can’t really convey how this felt, except that had I not been attuned to myself
and felt that "nudge", this opportunity to visit with her and share humanity
would have been lost.
I
still hold it in my memory today as a gift.
Avoiding an unspeakable tragedy
About 20 years ago, Billy and I were visiting some friends who had a home on the
golf course.
We were invited for happy hour and dinner and had made our way out to the back
where the view of the golf course and the umbrella’d tables and wrought iron
chairs were.
After a bit, I got up to go behind the swimming pool by the wall of the house.
Leaning against that wall, I took in the full scenery that only a golf course
offers. After a few minutes, I decided to put my drink down by my feet so I
could fully soak up the whole sight, unencumbered.
As I bent down - at that very nano-second - a golf ball whizzed above me
and forcefully cracked at the wall where my face had just been.
Had I not bent over at that very moment, I could have died, had brain damage,
lost an eye, broke my nose or had a mouthful of tooth fragments.
It was a long few seconds of silence as everyone took this in, and then
realization flowed over me like ice water.
I
was super aware of what had just transpired, and how I had averted tragedy.
In the flow
My point to these two stories is that in both of them, I was fully in happiness,
not worrying or caring about anything. In one instance, I received the gift of a
peace-filled stranger, an older woman welcoming me in her home, and in the other
instance, a catastrophe had been avoided.
There’s no moral to these stories.
It’s not that I was more deserving of being spared or have less sin than someone
else. I believe that I was simply in the Flow, and the Flow knew where to go.
It’s no different than when you might be driving in your car, singing along with
your favorite music and somehow, the traffic just opens up for you. Or maybe you
are kayaking and listening to nature’s peace, and a beautiful expression of the
wild unfolds before your very eyes.
You were in the flow then too.
Letting go of worry and anxiety is a good thing. It
opens doors to gifts unimagined and expands our lives.
Especially now, when it’s easy to get caught up in the news of the day, dropping
worry and anxiety as a routine experience can help you forge a new path for
yourself.
You can’t lose by trying this, and you may just find that you have stumbled out
into a sun-filled clearing.
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Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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