Gratitude for 2024 – Retire by 40

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you are enjoying the holidays as much as RB40Jr. He loves winter break because he doesn’t have to go to school. Life is so simple for a kid. This year, we are flying to California to visit families for a week. Normally, I don’t like to travel during Christmas because the airport is so busy. But we are all getting older and we want to spend the holidays with families. It should be great.

Recently, I heard on the radio that practicing gratitude can increase happiness. That makes sense. 2024 was full of ups and downs, but we should focus on the positives this holiday season. Most of us are very lucky. We should acknowledge it more often.

Peak Portlandia!

First off, I want to announce that I have reached peak Portlandia! Check it out.

I foraged these ginkgo seeds from a street tree, roasted them, and served them on a plate I made.  Boom! I am done. There is nothing left to achieve in Portlandia. Hahaha.  

Mrs. RB40 and I were strolling around the neighborhood when we saw some fruits on a ginkgo tree. I never looked at the fruits closely before, but I recognized the squished seeds on the ground this time. I used to crack these nuts with my grandmother when I was little. Whoa, these nuts are a delicacy. I didn’t know they came from ginkgo. We collected some fruits and took them home to experiment with. The ginkgo fruits were super stinky and not edible, but the nuts tasted fantastic. I haven’t had these nuts since I was a kid. Mmmm…

Coincidently, I made a ginkgo plate last month in my ceramic class. Serendipity.

I went back to get the rest of the nuts on the ground the next day. This time, I boiled and put a little sugar on them. They were great. FYI, you can only eat about 10 of these nuts per day. (5 for kids.) They contain ginkgotoxin and can cause severe poisoning if you eat too many. There are many benefits too. Ginkgo is used in traditional Chinese medicine. Thank goodness for the internet because I would have eaten this whole bowl.

I just checked Amazon and 10 seeds cost $12. That is not cheap.

Health is okay

2024 wasn’t a great year regarding health. Mrs. RB40 and I are getting older and we are facing more health issues. However, we are still healthy enough to do everything we want. We are thankful we have great doctors who care about us. Unfortunately, my primary care physician is retiring early next year.

RB40Jr had surgery to put a Cochlear implant in his ear to improve his hearing. The surgery went well and his hearing is starting to improve. We are thankful for that. However, the insurance denied our claim because they said the implant was experimental. We’ll contest the denial, but that can wait until next year. I’m not going to worry about it too much. They probably deny most claims anyway. The U.S. healthcare system is a mess. 

Money is good

2024 was an awesome year for investors. The stock market went up significantly and our net worth reached a dizzying new height. My active income continues to decrease, but I don’t really mind. I see it as a step toward full retirement. In a few years, I probably won’t have any active income at all. That’s alright. Our investment will be enough to provide a very comfortable retirement for us. We are very lucky because many people in our generation are still struggling with bills. Money isn’t everything, but it sure makes life easier.

New and old hobbies

I took some pottery classes this year and I enjoyed them immensely. My bowls and plates are wonky, but they are awesome and unique. Creating a piece of pottery feels so good. You make something real and it feels great to get better at something. Gifting my creations to friends and families is grand. Everyone appreciates a unique funny-looking bowl. My motto is – embrace the imperfection. Pottery is the perfect hobby for me.

I also took a ukulele class. I used to play often in my younger days, but I haven’t touched my ukes recently. It was great to get back into it. The ukulele is such a cheerful instrument. Mrs. RB40 said it’s nice to hear instruments in the house again.   

Family life is key

Lastly, I’m very thankful to have a great family life. Mrs. RB40 and I have been married for 25 years. We had our ups and downs, but we are great together now. We rarely fight and we laugh together almost every day. I feel 2024 was our best year yet. Life is good.

I’m also thankful for RB40Jr. He is a teenager now, but he doesn’t cause any trouble at all. That’s a miracle! He is a rule follower, like his mom. It’s great.

Alright, that’s it for today. I’ll be back in 2 weeks. Happy holidays!

What are you thankful for this year? Please share. It’ll help everyone feel good.

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Joe started Retire by 40 in 2010 to figure out how to retire early. After 16 years of investing and saving, he achieved financial independence and retired at 38.

Passive income is the key to early retirement. This year, Joe is investing in commercial real estate with CrowdStreet. They have many projects across the USA so check them out!

Joe also highly recommends Personal Capital for DIY investors. They have many useful tools that will help you reach financial independence.