[magneticnorth]

From the article - "how many of my remaining days will I wake up and ask, “What do I want to do today?” I had a stretch of almost a year pre-Gusto where I got to ask that question most days. Glorious. I want more of those"

It sounds like the author did, indeed, get a preview of their retirement life and found it fulfilling, and now they're working to get back there.