I'm a little overdue for an update....not sure even where to begin.
Family/Travel
My travels this summer will be bittersweet, related to family/health situation between very aging grandparents and now my own parents.....I suppose it's a good thing I'm able to step away to help when needed. My grandparents need more help than my sick parents are able to provide, so I will step in and help fill the void.
Mental Health
It's been a fairly good month for this. The sun and weather has helped immensely, largely due to being outside so much. It's insane how much the weather can effect my mood and sense of well being. Getting a lot of exercise and physical activity helps quite a bit too. We're off to a good start in June.
Physical Health
Healed up nicely after another MTB spill a few weeks ago
Down to 206.6 lbs this morning, and feeling very good in the gym. Strength has been solid, and endurance for running and mountain biking has improved noticeably over the past 8 weeks. A 4-6 mile run feels very easy, even at sub 9:00/mile pace.
Last time I had visible abs I was 198 lbs, at which I have a 26.5-27 BMI! I'll get there in the next month or so.
Financial
Stocks have been moving up, irrationally in my opinion. Bad news has been good for the market, and as such I've lowered my equity exposure to 55% of portfolio. Still high by some standards here, but much lower than commonly recommended by folks in other FIRE communities for my age.
If the market stays flat through the end of the month, I may finish at an elusive milestone
Bigger Picture Stuff
I long for my homeland......which is very strange. It comes and goes, but for the last decade and a half, I've had this strong urge to permanently relocate to the EU, more specifically Poland, where my whole family is from. Even though I was born in the USA, I've always identified more as a Pole than an American......spending the past few days reading the detailed history of Poland has brought these thoughts front and center. It's quite an amazing history, and a miracle that we even exist on the map today!
The dilemma with that move would be quite large, though not insurmountable. My future spouse does not speak polish (yet). She would have a very hard time finding work, friends, and culturally may feel like an outsider. Heck, I would face many of those issues as well, though I speak the language extremely fluently, and can read with middle school proficiency, with my writing being pretty bad (spelling is hard, but I'm sure I could learn). The country right now, is going through some political turmoil, with a very conservative government, which has given the church way too much power. Taxation is high, wages are low, and overall quality of life is lower than the rest of Europe. Despite all of this, a ton of natural beauty, very low cost, and tons of family and friends make it appealing........I guess time will tell. Being able to split our time between countries and continents freely is something I can't take for granted.
Random Musings
This is a very fascinating time in life. Feels like a crossroads before many other crossroads. I'm extremely grateful for this community, and owe a lot to Jacob and the rest of the member here. The mindset shift over the past 4 years has been profound, the inspiration to look at life outside of the box tremendous, and some of the friendships forming feel like they will take a life of their own, outside of the forum. Look forward to crossing paths with many of you!