What have you done this decade?

[richardjackson199]

--I married the woman of my dreams. She's better than that actually. Without her incredible support, I accomplish nothing below.

--I qualified for and ran the Boston Marathon. Then ran the Chicago marathon. I gave up running only after residency/fellowship training when I started working 14.5 hour weekdays. That's not supposed to be how that works.

-- I benched 315. I can still bench 245 a few times, and still work out every Saturday/Sunday. Yes I realize how ridiculous this is, but it's the only sporty thing I could ever do well.

--I graduated from medical school at Wake Forest. This was my dream when I was 5. With my grades at Duke (while living in K-Ville in a tent for each spring semester), yes it's a miracle that I even got accepted. But I never gave up, I did everything Kay Singer told me to do, and I think I earned it.

--I graduated residency at Wake Forest and Fellowship at UVA.

--I changed my mind from becoming a surgeon to what I do now. I am not a surgeon, and any doctor would tell you I'm probably about as far from that as would be possible. Not one other person in my graduating medical school class had any desire to do what I do, and I love what I do. So I chose the right specialty for me.

--After 3 years in my job, I've watched 7 other doctors in my practice resign or leave. I'm the only one still there from when I started, except my boss who only sees patients in our office 2 days a week. I have seen so many patients that I've gotten much better at my job probably just from volume and experience. But I help a lot of underserved kids get better, and that feels good. I always wanted to be an excellent doctor, and I've gotten to be decent. But in the next decade I'm going to get better.

-I continue to post often on DBR, and am very accepted by very smart and a very kind online community. They no doubt know that I don't know much of what I'm talking about. But I was born with crazy passion, and I guess that's why I'm mostly tolerated.

--I've stayed best friends with my best friends at Duke undergrad. We regularly text during Duke games.

--I've won some big hands at high stakes poker games in Bellagio poker room. And then I racked my chips and walked away. And it felt awesome.

--I've lost some pies. But I've won some pies.

--I've tasted and reviewed several delicious beers on Ymm Beer. I still don't know much about beer, except that some of them taste really really good. But those are some of the most quality DBR friends I've ever met.

--I'm still driving the same 2009 Toyota Corolla, the second car I've owned.

--I don't give as much time to the church as I used to. But I watch online every Sunday and give 10% of my gross salary. And they use it better than I would.

I'm thankful, this has been a wonderful decade that I better cherish.

[budwom]

^ good work on the Corolla...I knew a heart surgeon who was the first guy at the local med center to have a salary of over $1 million (decade or two ago)...thought he was admirably humble to drive a 25 year old Saab and told him so.
Then I was informed that he had been reprimanded multiple times at work for pilfering other people's lunches out of the work fridge...i guess modesty was the wrong diagnosis.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

^ good work on the Corolla...I knew a heart surgeon who was the first guy at the local med center to have a salary of over $1 million (decade or two ago)...thought he was admirably humble to drive a 25 year old Saab and told him so.
Then I was informed that he had been reprimanded multiple times at work for pilfering other people's lunches out of the work fridge...i guess modesty was the wrong diagnosis.

I've known people like that....it appears they own a lot of money...they think they own a lot of money...but what some don't realize is that the money owns them instead.

[bundabergdevil]

^ good work on the Corolla...I knew a heart surgeon who was the first guy at the local med center to have a salary of over $1 million (decade or two ago)...thought he was admirably humble to drive a 25 year old Saab and told him so.
Then I was informed that he had been reprimanded multiple times at work for pilfering other people's lunches out of the work fridge...i guess modesty was the wrong diagnosis.

All the millionaire next door-types that I know drive beaters and always have. They're savers and some are regular time-value investors but they know rule number 1: don't invest in depreciating assets.

I recently have come to know a 60-ish Y/O gentleman who runs the visitor center desk at a state park I frequent. He does not have a college degree, was a mechanic in the air force for 4 years, was a mechanic at a bus depot for a few more, and now has a low level state government job that probably pays somewhere between 30K and 45K/year...good money in a low COL area and with stable benefits and a pension scheme but nothing to write home about. On the flip side, his wife is 10 years older than he is and has a chronic degenerative back disease that made her disabled from working 15 years ago. She also has had several additional conditions that were not covered by insurance but were necessary (by his book and mine) for her reasonable daily life. Those out of pocket expenses have totaled near $100,000. To make up for that, he delivered Dominoes pizzas for 8 years, averaging about 20+ additional hours Thurs-Saturday, after this regular shift at the visitor center.

Anyway, the guy is a "save early and until it hurts" sort going all the way back to his late teens and has explained to me all his various cost cutting measures that he and his wife employ. They are extensive and impressive. They're sitting on about $1.5M in assets and have their house paid off. He is in my book an American financial hero.

[PackMan97]

--I'm still driving the same 2009 Toyota Corolla, the second car I've owned.

Congrats! I'm driving a 2003 Corolla. They last a long time. Mine has been through two accidents and still doesn't quit.

[Bostondevil]

Stopped going to Duke Football Games
Dropped to 1 session per week with my analyst
Resumed going to Duke Football Games in 2013
Added 2 more weekly sessions and started to drink excessively.
Became a caregiver to my wife, afflicted with a debilitating respiratory illness in January 2010.
They gave her 3-5 years at the time. Still going strong a decade later. She's survived breast cancer, 2 heart attacks, a triple by-pass, a modified radical mastectomy, chemo, radiation and effin' frozen shoulder which I'd never even heard of. Her Dad survived the Bataan Death March and 4 years in a Manchurian prison camp. Saved a buddy from the tip of a Japanese bayonet by twirling his handlebar mustache while dancing a soft-shoe routine or so the story goes. Liberated by the Ruskies. She comes from tough stock. Her heart function has actually increased 10% over the last decade.
Resumed a life-long love affair with the guitar, thinking my skills had plateaued. Taught the instrument years ago. Thought about music a different way after reading a book about music and the brain, skills have improved dramatically and now play private functions for money.
Became a mom and pop landlord
Biked the C&O Canal
Would like to thru-hike the AT but caregiver responsibilities won't allow it
Saw a daughter get an MFA in Theater and take up puppetry, Christ almighty.
Eulogized my Dad, a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. Graduate of Cornell. Farmer before going into publishing.
Vacation on the Vineyard every chance I get, but can't get there as much as I'd like.
Play tennis
Used to own a newspaper and a touring theater company in decades prior to this one, still try to get on the boards every once in a while

I would be over the moon if I had a daughter who did that. None of my sons do theater and it makes me sad. One of them was an exceptionally talented actor who was starting to get professional work and quit at age 14.

[Bostondevil]

My last decade:

Took my youngest son to chemotherapy sessions over 100 times. Took him to his quarterly follow-up MRIs at least 40 times. Spent the summer of 2017 taking him to daily radiation treatment. And now I take him to weekly therapy sessions because going through 4 separate courses of chemotherapy and one course of proton beam radiation therapy before you even reach puberty can leave you with PTSD. He remains an awesome kid and it has been worth it. (His tumor has remained stable since the radiation and if he gets one more good MRI, we get to drop to once a year.)

Took a leave of absence from my job as a public health researcher to care for my son when he had to do chemo for the 4th time. Haven't gone back due to funding reasons.

Ran the Boston Marathon 3 times to raise money for pediatric cancer care and research. (In total, I've run it 5 times and raised $57,000 but 2 were in last decade.)

Got the crazy idea that it would be fun to run a 5k (or longer) in every city and town in Massachusetts. I will be running in #44 tomorrow. Only 307 to go!

Saw my oldest son graduate from Duke. Saw the next two get rejected from Duke. One tried again as a transfer student. The third one is trying again as transfer student for next fall. The family might be 1 for 5 by the time we're through. I will not be encouraging the youngest to apply although if he wants to, I will let him.

Had my plays produced in Boston, New York, Chicago, LA, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and a couple of other places including one production in the UK.

Won my second award for playwriting (Best in Festival).

Joined a Shakespeare in the park style theater troupe. Have appeared in: Pericles, Macbeth, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, and A Midsummer Night's Dream(twice, one with another company). I have also assistant directed A Midsummer Night's Dream (twice). I produced Macbeth, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing and one of the Midsummers.

And most days I feel like I'm a slug who never gets anything done.

[Jeffrey]

My last decade:

Took my youngest son to chemotherapy sessions over 100 times. Took him to his quarterly follow-up MRIs at least 40 times. Spent the summer of 2017 taking him to daily radiation treatment. And now I take him to weekly therapy sessions because going through 4 separate courses of chemotherapy and one course of proton beam radiation therapy before you even reach puberty can leave you with PTSD. He remains an awesome kid and it has been worth it. (His tumor has remained stable since the radiation and if he gets one more good MRI, we get to drop to once a year.)

Took a leave of absence from my job as a public health researcher to care for my son when he had to do chemo for the 4th time. Haven't gone back due to funding reasons.

You have the most important job in the world and you’re doing awesome work. You and your son will always be my heroes!

[mattman91]

Congrats! I'm driving a 2003 Corolla. They last a long time. Mine has been through two accidents and still doesn't quit.

2010 Corolla here. That was a great year...

[wavedukefan70s]

2010 Corolla here. That was a great year...

Got 322000 before my 94 died.miss that car.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Got 322000 before my 94 died.miss that car.

My odometer on my 22 year old truck works intermittently, so that's fun.

[throatybeard]

Got 322000 before my 94 died.miss that car.

We've got 279,000 on the Prius and 189,000 on the Tacoma. I won't accept anything less than 300 Prius/250 truck.

Toyota.

[Highlander]

- Quit my job at a big 4 consulting company to stay in town with my family.
- Raised said family. Oldest became an Eagle Scout and has a deep love of music. Youngest loves gardening and electronics, and was just tapped for TIP.
- Served as a Cubmaster and Den Leader for both my sons
- Saw Rush in concert for likely the last time
- Also saw Guns n Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, Greta van Fleet, Foo Fighters, Sum 41, Godsmack, Baroness, Volbeat, Biffy Clyro, The Avett Brothers, and The Story So Far, among others.
- Started an annual tradition with 2 friends from college where we meet annually for a concert weekend (aka "The Midlife Crisis Tour")
- Watched Duke Football play in two bowl games, including Texas A&M in the Peach Bowl
- Attended the 2017 Boy Scout National Jamboree
- Backpacked through the Rocky Mountains with our Scout Troop
- Attended the 2019 Scouting World Jamboree
- Ran a couple of Marathons
- Ran Reach the Beach relay
- Ran at least 1 mile every year for 2 straight years (as of 12/31).
- Ran 1,000+ miles in a year for the first time (as of 12/31)

[Highlander]

--I married the woman of my dreams. She's better than that actually. Without her incredible support, I accomplish nothing below.

--I qualified for and ran the Boston Marathon. Then ran the Chicago marathon. I gave up running only after residency/fellowship training when I started working 14.5 hour weekdays. That's not supposed to be how that works.

-- I benched 315. I can still bench 245 a few times, and still work out every Saturday/Sunday. Yes I realize how ridiculous this is, but it's the only sporty thing I could ever do well.

I'd submit that if you qualified for the Boston Marathon, weightlifting is not the only sporty thing you can do well. Those times are around 3:10 or so IIRC. Not too shabby.

[richardjackson199]

- Quit my job at a big 4 consulting company to stay in town with my family.
- Raised said family. Oldest became an Eagle Scout and has a deep love of music. Youngest loves gardening and electronics, and was just tapped for TIP.
- Served as a Cubmaster and Den Leader for both my sons
- Saw Rush in concert for likely the last time
- Also saw Guns n Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, Greta van Fleet, Foo Fighters, Sum 41, Godsmack, Baroness, Volbeat, Biffy Clyro, The Avett Brothers, and The Story So Far, among others.
- Started an annual tradition with 2 friends from college where we meet annually for a concert weekend (aka "The Midlife Crisis Tour")
- Watched Duke Football play in two bowl games, including Texas A&M in the Peach Bowl
- Attended the 2017 Boy Scout National Jamboree
- Backpacked through the Rocky Mountains with our Scout Troop
- Attended the 2019 Scouting World Jamboree
- Ran a couple of Marathons
- Ran Reach the Beach relay
- Ran at least 1 mile every year for 2 straight years (as of 12/31).
- Ran 1,000+ miles in a year for the first time (as of 12/31)

You'll never regret it! The only regret on this list is that Duke didn't punch in one more touchdown before halftime at that Peach Bowl.

[richardjackson199]

I'd submit that if you qualified for the Boston Marathon, weightlifting is not the only sporty thing you can do well. Those times are around 3:10 or so IIRC. Not too shabby.

Thanks! I qualified at Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minn. It was a beautiful course along Lake Superior. I did the online training runs and just stayed with a pacer.

Then at Boston my goal was to break 3 hours like my Dad had to do to qualify for Boston. I never did break 3 hours.

I was cruising right along on pace at Boston, but it's so cliche. I hit the wall after about mile 20 - Heartbreak Hill. I don't think that hill was tough at all. I still blame not dressing warm enough for hours before the race waiting out in the cold before we started. I'm sure my body used up too much energy shivering in running shorts to stay warm, and I just didn't prepare well for that wait. I finished Boston a little slower than 3:10, and felt like I was barely moving the last 2 miles or so.

I tried again at Chicago, with good training, but ran the race with a bad cold. I fell well off my pace that time after about mile 1. So I just tried to enjoy the great race support and scenery.

So my PR was 3:09 at the Grandma's qualifier. I felt great that day and should have finished that one faster. But I just stayed with the pacer to make sure I qualified.

I never felt like a great runner, just disciplined enough to train hard. I usually got smoked either by more talented runners or those who were mentally tougher.

But you're right, my dream was always to run Boston, not break 3 hours. I should celebrate that more. Moral of the story - if you're headed for a heartbreak, at least slow down and kiss the Wellesley girls.

[bundabergdevil]

- Quit my job at a big 4 consulting company to stay in town with my family.
- Raised said family. Oldest became an Eagle Scout and has a deep love of music. Youngest loves gardening and electronics, and was just tapped for TIP.

- Served as a Cubmaster and Den Leader for both my sons
- Saw Rush in concert for likely the last time
- Also saw Guns n Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, Greta van Fleet, Foo Fighters, Sum 41, Godsmack, Baroness, Volbeat, Biffy Clyro, The Avett Brothers, and The Story So Far, among others.
- Started an annual tradition with 2 friends from college where we meet annually for a concert weekend (aka "The Midlife Crisis Tour")
- Watched Duke Football play in two bowl games, including Texas A&M in the Peach Bowl
- Attended the 2017 Boy Scout National Jamboree
- Backpacked through the Rocky Mountains with our Scout Troop
- Attended the 2019 Scouting World Jamboree
- Ran a couple of Marathons
- Ran Reach the Beach relay
- Ran at least 1 mile every year for 2 straight years (as of 12/31).
- Ran 1,000+ miles in a year for the first time (as of 12/31)

Good for you. Did you continue to work but on a more regular schedule, do some at-home consulting work, or just stay at home? Any transition/decompression challenges? I've been restructuring my life in preparation for our first, due early next year. I quit a job with a F50 that was mid-way through a massive restructuring. They wanted to keep me (that is, I wasn't "synergy") but I was going to have to keep up a potential 75% travel pace or likely move somewhere I did NOT want to move. Anyway, I quit and started a much closer-to-home, very regular (but far less lucrative) job and do a couple of side consulting/teaching gigs now.

There have been some adjustments but I'm feeling good it'll bear out as the right decision when the little bundabergdevil hell baby is unleashed upon the world. Honestly, I can't wait!

[wavedukefan70s]

I may have to rearange my life top 5 .and a my decade .my daughters wedding wasnt a funeral type.
My wife is absolutely a great wedding planner.so good we are considering starting a wedding venue buisness .
This is one of if not the happiest moments of this decade.i feel compelled to share a snippet with you all.

Full video be out the 30th

https://www.facebook.com/10131620465...sn=mo&d=n&vh=e

Preview

[DukieInKansas]

[B]


Good for you. Did you continue to work but on a more regular schedule, do some at-home consulting work, or just stay at home? Any transition/decompression challenges? I've been restructuring my life in preparation for our first, due early next year. I quit a job with a F50 that was mid-way through a massive restructuring. They wanted to keep me (that is, I wasn't "synergy") but I was going to have to keep up a potential 75% travel pace or likely move somewhere I did NOT want to move. Anyway, I quit and started a much closer-to-home, very regular (but far less lucrative) job and do a couple of side consulting/teaching gigs now.

There have been some adjustments but I'm feeling good it'll bear out as the right decision when the little bundabergdevil hell baby is unleashed upon the world. Honestly, I can't wait!

I don't think you will ever regret the change - spending time with your kids is worth more than cash in the bank. I wasn't fortunate to have kids but still remember my niece's comment "That's right. Aunt Barbara can't do it - it's tax season." Although I didn't (don't) miss many family events during tax season, that comment stuck with me so that I arranged time, as much as possible, to attend the little events too.

[Highlander]

[B]


Good for you. Did you continue to work but on a more regular schedule, do some at-home consulting work, or just stay at home? Any transition/decompression challenges? I've been restructuring my life in preparation for our first, due early next year. I quit a job with a F50 that was mid-way through a massive restructuring. They wanted to keep me (that is, I wasn't "synergy") but I was going to have to keep up a potential 75% travel pace or likely move somewhere I did NOT want to move. Anyway, I quit and started a much closer-to-home, very regular (but far less lucrative) job and do a couple of side consulting/teaching gigs now.

There have been some adjustments but I'm feeling good it'll bear out as the right decision when the little bundabergdevil hell baby is unleashed upon the world. Honestly, I can't wait!

I spent my career in Financial Services, so I took a local job with a large bank doing similar work to what I did consulting. For me this is what did it:
While contemplating the move, I sat down with a good friend of mine who was a senior exec at our company. He was roughly my age, maybe a couple years older. I asked him what appealed to him about the job. He noted the compensation was great (it was), and that there weren't many 60 year olds at our company because most cashed out and retired early, and that appealed to him.

I relayed the conversation to my wife, and she said "That's true, but at 60 years old, our kids will be completely grown and moved away. You will have all this free time, but you will have missed their entire childhood, and you can't get that time back." That hit me hard. Another partner told me to go with my gut at the end of the day, because that was probably would be happiest at. He was right.

The new job paid about what the old job did. Bonuses are much better, but I'm well below the salary I could have made had I stayed. But I was looking at Mon-Thurs travel every week for the foreseeable future, plus a transition from problem solving into sales, which wasn't something I enjoyed doing.

The scouting commitments I have now would have been impossible with my old job. Plus I always felt like I was intruding on my family's life when I returned home. They had adapted to life without me around, and when I returned I felt like a disruption of sorts.

When I took my current job, I was clear that I didn't object to having to travel for work. What I objected to was traveling all week, every week for work for months on end.

I think you'll be happy with the move in the long run. Like I said, the time when your kids are young is time you will never get to do again, so maximize it.