Greetings! I retired young(ish), so I have oodles of time to enjoy my extensive Steam library. I bounce back and forth between various games every day, and I take a ton of screenshots during my gameplay, so I’ll post some of the better ones I have.
Starting with this shot from the game Enshrouded. I found this corpse under a tree with a half-written journal entry next to him.
It’s semi-related. I served in the US Air Force for 20 years. I got to retire and collect a pension at 38 years old, which is some decent passive income, but not enough to live comfortably on. I would have needed a new job to supplement my living expenses with just that income.
(Un)Fortunately, I also got a bit beat up in my 2 decades of military service. The worst (physically) was a motorcycle accident a decade ago, which I never properly healed from. Both my legs are a bit messed up. I’ve had a few surgeries to fix them and I’m finally back on my feet and mobile, but I can’t really run anymore, nor be on my feet for too long. Which is a shame because I used to be extremely active in my youth. If American Ninja Warrior had been a thing in my childhood, I would’ve dominated that show! I was super fit and bursting with energy back then. I never met anyone who could beat me at obstacle courses as a kid/teen.
Mentally, I saw some shit in Iraq and nearly died a handful of times. My base was mortared at least once a week for the 4 months I was there. I once stepped out to my truck to grab something and a mortar shredded the shack I had been in, killing the 3 Army guys in there. I got a mild concussion from that hit, too. That’s probably the closest I came to dying. So I’ve got a bit of lingering PTSD. Nothing too extreme, just a bit of anxiety and insomnia that comes and goes.
Those, plus 2 decades worth of minor injuries and health concerns, convinced the VA to give me the coveted 100% Permanent & Total disability rating, which includes a monthly pay that’s 2x as much as my pithy pension.
My wife also got the rare 100% disability rating from her military service, due to her own physical and mental issues, which also comes with a similar pay as mine. So with our combined passive incomes, we’re not wealthy by any means, but we make enough to live comfortably without working.
I’m 40 now and inherited my childhood home when my dad passed away this year, so my wife and I have the freedom to relax and focus on our own lives without worrying about needing to be somewhere or making money to get by. It’s very therapeutic, and I wish everyone could experience this earlier in their lives. Retirement age keeps getting bumped further back as people live longer, and it’s no fun being retired when you’re too old to do most things anymore.
I have a ton of hobbies that I bounce back and forth between, but gaming has been a relaxing pleasure of mine since I was a kid. My Steam library is over 3,500 games now and I’m always looking to try out new games. Plus, a few friends of mine play weekly in various co-op games together. So I’ve been a pretty active gamer since I retired. And I hope to share a bunch of screenshots of my games and maybe spark some discussion.
Thanks for taking the time to write this.
Sounds like you two have had plenty of rough experiences. I hope you’ll find happiness in the things that are good now.
As for sports, have you tried pool swimming (or water running)? Might take some getting used to, but since you are practically weightless when floating in the water, many people with issues find it good for their body.
Yeah, one of the benefits of being 100% disabled is that I can get free annual passes to all federal, state, and county parks. And there just so happens to be a nice park with a sandy beach at a lake down the road from my house. So my wife and I take advantage of it all summer long.
I’m a good swimmer, but I don’t really like swimming, so it’s more therapy work for me than anything. But I’ve noticed some improvement since taking up swimming regularly. And that’s what counts in the end.
When I was still in the military, they had me in physical therapy off-and-on for years, and one of the more interesting exercises they had me do was a weightless treadmill. They squeezed me into some tight rubber shorts, then zipped the waist of the shorts into a giant rubber bubble over a treadmill and filled it with air. Depending on the pressure setting, it lifted me up so I was barely touching the treadmill while walking. Definitely took the weight off my knees. But it sucked to work up a sweat while wearing those tight rubber pants. 😖
Thanks for sharing, super interesting story. Glad you get to relax for the foreseeable future!