Rekindle Your Joy

Think back to the last time you sat around a real campfire. When you first toss on the dry pine and the kindling, the flames shoot up instantly. The wood pops, the heat hits your face, and the light pushes the evening shadows right back into the trees. But if you walk away and leave it alone, a quiet shift begins. It doesn't explode, and it doesn't vanish in a flash. The fire just slowly, gradually cools down. The bright orange flames pull back, the chill creeps in, and you’re suddenly left with a quiet bed of embers buried under a blanket of gray ash. For decades, we are told that retirement is the ultimate reward—the moment we finally get to stop producing and start consuming comfort. We throw a giant log on the fire, we celebrate, and we bask in that initial, beautiful blaze of absolute freedom.