> He told my mom even if it didn't help him he hoped it would help someone.
He did help. Absolutely. A friend was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma 5 years ago, and she's in full remission today with an optimistic prognosis. Her life is possible because of researchers and people like your dad.
I travel on the cheap (2-3 months per year), volunteer at a museum a few times per month, spend gobs of time with my spouse, and work on various artistic/craft projects.
Friendships have been challenging. I have less in common with people my age now. Long time friends are still friends. Coworker-friends drift away once you realize they weren't really friends at all, just colleagues.
No real friction except with super spendy friends (who are still climbing the ladder I jumped off of) who want to make spendy plans. No, we aren't going to drop 10k on a Greek Villa this summer. They have limited time and lots of money, for me, the opposite.
I don't miss work. At all. And I was passionate about it while I was in. Life has its seasons.
Worries in FIRE are mostly related to inflation. Healthcare costs have skyrocketed, and so has the cost of food. We planned a generous buffer and are fine, but the trend line is a bit concerning.
I read Fire Upon the Deep earlier this year and it blew me away.
If you want to read his work, please buy a copy instead of using archive. Or borrow a copy from your local library. Authors still get royalties with libraries that use catalogs like Overdrive and Gardner, as most municipal libraries do.
Vinge is still with us and he deserves to get paid for his work.
He did help. Absolutely. A friend was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma 5 years ago, and she's in full remission today with an optimistic prognosis. Her life is possible because of researchers and people like your dad.
I'm sorry for your loss.