RE: Retirement or IKIGAI? ... IKI - what?

Hi dear @samsmith1971 :-) this is also the reply to your other comment
Think in your children you already found important part of your ikigai! But If I read right between your lines, your actual job is far away from something you love? Thats Not good in a long run.
Reading @palomap3 s lines and looking at my actual situation, being healthy and staying healthy ist the highest good we can have.

Me too stayed too long in a exhausting hamster wheel. When I changed this 2 years ago I could do by decreasing my monthly bills. Now living in the family house again, having 2 rooms and my balcony for me is much more than most people on earth have. Though this is not the way most people think it should be in my age!
But it helped me to come from monthly 1500 Eur fix costs only for rent and insurances, down to 300 !
This gave me a lot of freedom. We often dont see how our western lifestyle causes the hamsterwheel.
Of course in this case having no children to feed made it easier.

Selflove, selfcare and as palomap wrote selfesteem, its so important to find and try to celebrate them in every Moment.
Really hope you find a way or another job so you get the Feeling life is great and Feeling totaly fine right now.