Anyone here live in the Eastern outskirts of Austin?
Back about 1994 orso I was 34 years old, lived in the sticks of N W Missouri, district sales mgr. for a major ag co. Great place and people. Maybe once a year I would have to fly to Mi. to the home office by way of Chicago. So there I was on that jet sitting next to a guy in a suit that starts small talk. Asks about where I live and what I do. He then tells me how he lives in Chicago and wishes he had my deal He hates the city, the crime, the politics pretty much everything, but can't leave that money to live somewhere else.
So I give him my take on life. I tell him, yea I could make more money somewhere else, but the things in life that are more important to me means that I live out in the country, in a state that I love, and when NOT working, I am able to do and have the things that are meaningful to me. Or if one day I need to take off a couple of days from my job for ME, I can...No office to go to, no one to ask permission, I just do my thing.
I also tell him HOW I have seen people ever since I was a child that worked all their lives just to live for that day they finally retire move to where they want to live, and can go full time at the "hobbies" they had always dreamed about. Then I tell him just how many, many people I have seen get to about 55 or 60 or 65 and yep retire, and/or then BOOM, they find themselves too old and/or in poor health or just DIE and never find that joy they had dreamed about all their lives.
I realize what works me, for what has always been important to me, is not for everyone. But If I die tomorrow, I can say I did the things is life while I could do them and enjoy it all.