I’ve retired.

Not with a champagne toast or ceremonial farewell—just a quiet punctuation to a long stretch of focused work. For most of the last few decades, I did database development. It’s work that rewards nuance over flash: debugging logic, optimizing queries, making systems hum quietly in the background.

I liked that about it. It invited clarity, precision, and just enough abstraction to keep it interesting.

⌛ Why Now?

I’d been considering retirement for a while. My health scare a couple of years ago got me thinking about the next phase of life. When my last job ended in a company-wide layoff, I reassessed the path forward—and decided not to chase another role. It wasn’t an impulsive decision. I’d already done the modeling and scenario planning. Retirement felt feasible, and more importantly, it felt right.

🔄 What Shifts?

The change hasn’t been dramatic. Life still has structure—but the rhythm is mine to choose.

• I read more.
• I watch movies and shows I’ve long meant to get around to.
• I stay up late on “school nights” without worrying about meetings at dawn.
• I wake when ready, not when summoned.
• I move more—intentionally—because health isn’t just a checkbox, it’s a foundation.

Cruising with my wife and family has become a joy worth prioritizing. It’s not just vacation—it’s shared experience, with the time and space to savor it.

And best of all, no meetings.

🌱 What’s Ahead?

This isn’t a retreat. It’s a repurposing.

I want to explore ideas more freely. I’ve always believed that analysis need not kill wonder. Retirement lets me test that in real time.

I’ll likely keep blogging here, thinking aloud into the digital void.

Thanks for reading. Let’s see where this new chapter wanders.