Van Halen: The Soundtrack to My Life Predicted My Retirement
The other morning while driving to work, I was listening to a mix from my childhood friend Cindy. She knows that I’ve been obsessed with Van Halen (especially the Sammy Hagar version – David Lee Roth, not as much) since we were making mixtapes in the 1980s, and closed out the list with some of their best: Dreams, Right Now, When It's Love, Beats Workin', Big River, and Jump.
It hit me over the head at that moment: Van Halen didn’t just provide the soundtrack to my past. For over four decades, even back to before I was working, they’ve been helping me plan my upcoming retirement.
Of course, in my twenties retirement wasn’t even a thought. It was a far-off Dream for some distant day. I hadn’t met Pete yet and had never picked up a fishing rod. Life was about showing up, working hard, and doing what you’re supposed to do. I was saving for the future and trusting that it would all make sense eventually.
Looking back now, it feels like Beats Workin' was playing in the background of those years. Because that’s exactly what we were doing: just working, day in and day out. Putting in the time without fully knowing what it would eventually amount to.
By my mid-thirties, everything started to shift. I met Pete, and with him came a whole new world, one filled with adventure, travel, and of course, fishing. A different way of thinking about life began to catch on. Even as we continued to work, save, and plan for a future, retirement still felt far away. That was something for old people.
In our forties, the retirement conversations started to take shape. We became more goal-oriented and purposeful. Retirement was no longer some unobtainable goal -- it was something we needed to define. What did we actually want it to look like? One thing became clear: We promised each other we weren’t going to spend it sitting still. We vowed that we wouldn’t be glued to our “Archie Bunker chairs,” so we promised to keep moving, to keep exploring, to truly live and do what we love, fish and travel. Because the minute you stop moving, you stop living.
Then came our fifties and the moment that changed everything, February 2020, right as COVID shut down the world our Dreams started to take shape. We suddenly had time to start Half Past First Cast and share our Dreams with others. Sometimes something good comes out of something bad.
Looking back now, it feels like Dreams was never just a song, it was a goal. It sparked the idea that maybe we could build a life that looked different than the 9 to 5. A life that would take us beyond what we once thought possible, chasing experiences across big water and even bigger places. From casting lines on a Big River to traveling to places like Panama, those tiles now feel less like abstractions and more like a reflection of the life we were building.
Pete looked at me and asked, “Are you in or out?”
Was I all in on Half Past First Cast, our vision of a retirement filled with travel, fishing on days that ended in “y,” meeting incredible people, telling their stories, and helping others check off their bucket list Dreams?
And in that moment, I realized something. This wasn’t just a question, it was a Jump into something completely uncomfortable, something unknown, something new and exciting and for once, I didn’t overthink it, I just Jumped.
So I did. I said yes. I was in.
Because when you see someone else so passionate, you end up feeling the same way until it’s something you believe in (thank you Bret Michaels). How can you possibly say no? When It's Love isn’t just about romance, it’s about recognizing what matters most. It’s about saying yes to a life, a partnership, and a Dream that you’ve built together.
Here I sit, just days away from my final day in the corporate world, realizing that everything we talked about, planned for, and worked toward is no longer hypothetical or indefinite, You Really Got Me, Pete Robbins. The dream is finally here and we will be on Top of the World, together forever.
Because for years, all we were was a Little Dreamer, but we committed to our future we couldn’t fully see yet, and it is finally here. Beats Workin' wasn’t just a song, it was our reality.
And now? It’s happening! Right Now!
This next chapter isn’t about slowing down, it’s about fully embracing the life we created. A life filled with early mornings on the water, new destinations, unforgettable people, and stories worth telling. A life where retirement doesn’t mean stopping, it means finally starting.
Six years ago, this Dream we talked about began to take shape. Now it becomes a full-time obsession.
And the best part? This isn’t the end of a career, it’s the beginning of the life we were always meant to live.
Just ask Van Halen.
A Half Past First Cast Mixtape:
RIGHT NOW
DREAMS
WHEN IT’S LOVE
BEATS WORKIN’
BIG RIVER
JUMP
PANAMA
LITTLE DREAMER
TOP OF THE WORLD
