T.G.I.F. Friday: Volume 16
Welcome to “Thank God I’m FI” Friday, Volume #16!
Here are some things I really like and that you might too.
Finance Articles
Life is Short. Retire Early. (ESI Money) – “Tomorrow is not guaranteed.”
Is This Stay-at-Home Thing a Taste of Early Retirement? (Route To Retire) “It took me a long time to adjust to early retirement… and I’m still not there yet.”
Video
You know how I love the 4K nature videos, and this one showing the splendor of Canada doesn’t disappoint. Get your nature dose…
Who’s Inspired Me
Hugh Herr.
Herr was a rock climbing prodigy back in the 1970′ and early 80’s. Then he had both of his legs amputated below the knee after a night exposed on the infamous and dangerous Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. He didn’t sulk, or sit and take his new reality in a passive way. He observed the crude state of prosthesis and set out to change it. And he did, in a major way.
He got a master’s degree in mechanical engineering at MIT, followed by a PhD in biophysics from Harvard. Then he went on to change the world of artificial prosthesis forever with breakthrough after breakthrough. He’s now one of the world’s leading innovators in the field and head of the Biomechatronics Lab at MIT. And of course he got right back to climbing, and still climbs at the highest level with artificial limbs.
I read “Second Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr” way back in the early 2000’s and it blew me away. Since then he’s only innovated more, and made life for disabled persons that much better. This piece from Outside is a great look at his amazing life.
What I’m Grateful For
That my state has allowed parks and open spaces to stay open during the pandemic, unlike others. Exercise is literally a magic pill for life, and for me at least it’s best done outside in nature.
Lyrically Speaking
All you want is
What you can’t have
And if you just look around man
You see you got magic
So just sit back relax
Enjoy it while you still have it
Don’t look back on life man and only see tragic
From “Better Than”, by John Butler Trio.
This is one of those songs I put on when I need a pick up, when things aren’t going so well. It’s so uplifting and just makes me feel good. That’s good art.
The lines quoted above start the song out with a powerful message against the constant “want” of our modern world. Butler is about appreciating what you have. There’s even a graffiti scroll in the video that says “The best things in life … aren’t things”. This guy would fit right in with the minimalist side of FI for sure.
Life will have ups and downs and never be perfect. So sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
Miscellaneous
Just Keep Moving. And Sometimes, Double Your Distance – “When this is over, you’ll either be fit or fat.”
What Will COVID-19 Mean For Academic Freedom? – “With entire campuses moving online, a digital record of class discussions, and a bureaucracy already in place to punish individuals for their views, the potential negative impact on free and open dialogue, and, in turn, student learning, emotional well-being, maturation, and cognitive gain is immense.”
Sun Belt Cities Are Dangerous Places to Walk – “The more dense the city, the safer it is for pedestrians”
*This article contains affiliate links. Using those links throws some change in my pocket at no additional cost to you. Here’s my disclosure.
Hugh Herr – what an amazing person! Thank for sharing these interesting stories.
Our parks have been closed for most of the past 2 months, but restrictions are starting to ease. We can enter the parks on foot, if we are within walking distance from our homes! Not sure how that’s going to work. We may give it a try, but it will be 10 miles round trip to get there, hike, and then walk back home! “When this is over, you’ll either be fit or fat.” I will make this my mantra!
Haha, that’s a great mantra isn’t it? So glad you can now get outside more, make use of it!
Life is indeed short. We’ve also learned from the coronavirus that the economy can crash and jobs can vanish out of nowhere, which further shows the importance of having multiple income streams and being financially independent
Huge Herr is an inspiration. He didn’t feel sorry for himself once his legs got amputated. I’ve tried to be more grateful by just appreciating I still have a job, housing, and income as so many people have been hurt much worse than me during this pandemic.
Like that “Better Than” song says, we should be more grateful to increase our happiness instead of seeking more possessions. So many people live paycheck to paycheck and can end up homeless quickly
Yep so true Max, and the gratitude practice has been really beneficial to me as well, thanks for stopping by!
I saw that some cities are closing off streets to cars to make more room for people to social distance while walking. In my city they have closed some roads that run through parks for the same reason.
Yep, D.C. has blocked of parts of some streets to widen sidewalks. A possible silver lining in this whole thing is to reexamine our insane car culture and the death and pollution that comes with it, as well as how much public space is dedicated solely to dangerous cars and not for pedestrians.
Lots of PNW and my backyard of Canada in that video from British Columbia (makes sense as Arctyrex is out of Vancouver) . Hope you are doing well and TGEDIF (Thank God Every Day is Friday) when you are FIRE lol
Both of our countries are beautiful. Yours is soooo less populated though, so the beauty seems more “wild”. And love that acronym!
dude, you ever been to mt. washington?. i have not but they have a road race there most years when there is no pandemic. a guy i used to work with had a bumper sticker that read “this car climbed mt. washington.” apparently it’s know for the world’s worth weather. if the mrs. and i ever make it to maine we might have to stop there.
c’mon freddy, you know better than to ask that 🙂 I’ve climbed Mt. Washington 5 times, 3 in summer and 2 in winter. I also had one failed attempt in winter where we hit a whiteout and -40 degree temperatures and had quite the adventure. The first time I went there I was in my early 20’s and drove up, and the winds were literally 100mph and ripped the rain poncho right off my body! I have yet to do a blog post on one of my Mt. Washington adventures but I’ll get to it eventually….
And holy schmoly you need to go to Maine already it’s gorgeous! Yes, don’t miss hitting Mt. Wash on the way. Actually I would recommend staying a night or two in that area and if you like hiking the Franconia Notch area is amazing.
Nice selections. Have you seen JBT live? That’s one of my favorite bands. Seen them twice in your neck of the woods at 9:30 and Wolf Trap. Missed them at Red Rocks by a day when in CO last summer. Given current state of affairs regarding crowds, feeling like not making that happen was a mistake.
No I’ve never seen them live but so cool that you’ve seen them around my way. I’ve never seen a concert at Red Rocks and would love to go.
I’ve been getting outside as much as possible and trying to be creative with workouts. I also have maybe been to the grocery store maybe more than others who are living off canned goods, but the slight risk is worth it (with using every precaution, of course) because I put my health more at risk eating crap food and not getting outside to exercise hard. I’m trying to find a balance. But man I miss beach volleyball more than I can possibly say. 🙁
My city had to rope off a few of our sand volleyball courts because people were still using them. Sounds like you’re dealing well though, I’m getting my workouts in as well but I miss my cycling friends. They challenge me.