Life is for the Living

For 11 years I awoke every Monday to Friday at 5:15am and was out the door at 5:45 to start my hour long commute into the Big City, facing traffic and bad drivers so I could put in my nine hours of trying to get other people to do their job, only to spend another hour in traffic on the way home. I would work hard and dedicate myself to the company 100% though I never received a raise in the last three years. I was the only member of management who would partake in physical labour if that was what it took to get the job done on time. I would phone in sick only if I was on my deathbed. I would plan my day on the way to work, I would analyse the day on the way home. I dreaded and hated almost every minute of it but I kept doing it year after year. That was what was expected of me! What a fool I was!

On January 31, 1997, that all came to an end after a 10 minute meeting wherein I was told that my services were no longer needed and to be sure to hand in anything that belonged to the company on the way out the door. I was a victim of a corporate takeover; I was laid off. After 11 years of hard work, surviving two previous takeovers, and giving the company my all, I was unemployed!

You'd expect me to be bitter, to hate the Corporation. Well, I was bitter and hateful; for all of 20 minutes, the time it took me to clear up any loose ends, say my goodbyes, and start driving home. It wasn't long before I felt this rush of joy hit me, the feeling that a large weight was lifted from my shoulders; the albatross was finally dead and gone. Since that day till now, I have not had another full time job and I LOVE it!

You see, I've always had a different take on life. I have always thought that life worked in a round-about way that just didn't make sense to me. We are all raised, myself included, to live along the same lines; go to school, work for 45 years, retire, then die. I have never been able to quite rap my mind around the sense in that. If that was the case then for the majority of our lives we are told what to do and when to do it, and if we listen well we can be renumerated for it. And when we are too old and broken we can be cast aside and told "Now you can enjoy life!" In the beginning I followed these rules, though reluctantly.

I was fortunate enough to realize a few things early on, which went against popular thought. One is that the company you work for owes you NOTHING and that in the corporate world the higher you are in the pecking order means the farther you had to fall. I also knew that if I worked to retirement age, there was no way I'd be in good enough shape to enjoy my life afterwards. So I have decided to do something so sensible, yet crazy to most. I have retired! I am going to enjoy life and all it offers and do what I want for a change. Since the lay off, I feel better then I ever have in my adult life! The back pain that had been an almost constant part of my life, is barely existing. The headaches have gone. My self esteem is at an all time high. I walk erect with my head held high. I am enjoying being. I have just turned 34 and it is only now that I am coming into my own. I feel reborn!

Should you do the same? Yes you should! Can you do it is a different question all together. We have no children, though I still have my share of the mortgage, so I am financially better off than most. There are those people who must work, those necessary to run the machinery of everyday life; those who need to be told what to do and those who thrive on the rush of working life, and those who love their job.

I'm not pushing a slacker's way of life here, don't misunderstand. I will work again (I had a 5 month contract job last year) and when I do it will be something I want to do and I will give my all to do it. I will not find myself doing a job I hate again and I realize now , it is just stupid to do so. Life is too short for that.

To exist in this lifestyle you'll need to take a long hard look at who you are and what you want from life. You'll need to understand what is the minimum you need to earn to get what you want from your life. Do you really need a new car every two years or would you rather travel around the world? Could you do without the designer labels and the expensive dinners out? Would you be willing to eat and live on the basics in order to achieve your goals? What are you willing to sacrifice to become fulfilled? What is life worth to you?

There is a book called "The Joy of Not Working" that address' these questions in greater detail and is a must read for anyone contemplating their lot in life. It really helps you to evaluate your priorities.

You may be wondering what my life of leisure entails. My passion is travelling and it is something I have been able to pursue in abundance in the last 14 months (granted this has been an exceptional period of time). Here's a run down of where I've been: Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, St. Petes Florida, Lake Geneva Wisconsin, Charlotte North Carolina, Cape Cod and Boston Mass., Chicago Illinois, Kansas City Missouri, Minneapolis Minnesota, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, Edison New Jersey, and Point Pelee National Park Ontario. Not too shabby! In the next 6 months I have Cuba, Acadia National Park in Maine, and the Barbados scheduled. Who knows where else I may end up!?

What else has it allowed me to do? I have started writing a book, the idea for which has been bouncing around in my head for years. It may be finished next year or never, doesn't really matter. It's a great thing to be doing come the horrible onslaught of Canadian winter!

We had an unseasonably warm few days at the beginning of April where the temperature went into the 80s. The old me would have been grumbling about being trapped at work instead of the great outdoors enjoying it. The new me hopped in the car and took off to a park and hiked, cycled, and basically took full advantage of it!

I have also been able to refinish our rec room, discover new parts of the Bruce Trail just north of my home, work on my garden, and create my own home page!

But am I bragging? Well, in a way, yes I am, but mostly I am trying to demonstrate the fact that I am living like I want to, or should. Granted the things I've listed may not be your goals but take the time to realize what it is you really, really want to do with your life and discover what it will take to accomplish them. When you're old and decrepid, do you want to be filled with "I wish I had done that"s or "I should of done's? Or do you want to be able to look back and say with pride, "I had a good and full life, I regret nothing"?

Maybe you always wanted to learn to cook. Or read Shakespeare! Or climb a mountain! Or see the Alps! Whatever it is that drives you, make a pledge to yourself to just get out there and do it while you still can!

It hasn't been easy at times, though. The many years of habit are hard to break. I had hated my job for so many years (does that sound familiar?), but it had taken this giant push to get me moving. I still have to deal with the unavoidable question of "what do you do?" that when I answer "nothing" is greeted with looks usually reserved for people with infectious disease. So much emphasis in our society is placed on what we do for a living that it is to the point that what we do becomes what we are. How often have you heard someone you've just met say "I'm a dentist" or "I'm a truck driver", their profession becoming their identity. Test my point out the next time someone asks you what you do, by answering "I'm unemployed".

Another difficulty is the fact that the weekend no longer exists. After working so long with the weekend as a goal to be achieved, it's not easy coming to the realization that the weekend is just another two days of the week, especially if you are the only one who is able to realize it.

The problem I face now is allowing myself to do what I want to do. It sounds stupid but it's not that easy! You know what? I'm working hard on it right now!

Let me just sum it up by saying this: Life is too short to spend it thinking about dying. That time will come soon enough, why worry about? Think about being a participant in life instead of a spectator. And get a move on! Time's running out!

Have to go now, the sun is out and there's a trail with my name on it somewhere. Take it easy and have fun, that's what it's all about!

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