$495k - Counting All The Chickens!

 I didn't celebrate at the end of last year when FIRE was so close I could taste it. I was afraid, nervous, but also didn't want to count my chickens before they hatched.

Then the market started it's downturn and I never saw that high number again. I kept contributing and the number kept getting lower. Mentally, I still felt some release from financial insecurity but still wanted to really hit $500k even symbolically.

I'm still not there, but this time I'm choosing to celebrate. I even had an old colleague I was waiting to tell. She's the person I identified that would be the most genuinely happy for me and it wouldn't be weird between us. She is well off and comes from a well-off family. And I still wouldn't feel like my accomplishment was meager. And she's not my family who might look at me differently or other colleagues who I know are doing better than me and will surpass that tiny number. 

Anyway, why am I even waiting for someone else to celebrate myself!!!

So here you go! (Strangely, when I started this journey I never felt shy about sharing my numbers, but now that it's this coveted thing (even if only coveted by me), I'm nervous about baring my financial skin. I mostly feel like I'm going to be victimized in some way, but I'm doing it anyway.)

Yep! I had to capture that for posterity while the market keeps doing what it does. That's mostly due to our $20k bonus payment last week. 

How does it feel? Amazing!