Saturday, December 21, 2013

Never Too Late Is It?

The shortest day of the year.

Winter solstice.

Being a sunshiny person, winter is rough on me, but being able to travel with the weather in my little old wheel estate sure makes it easier.

Back in the dark ages, I was severely depressed. They slapped a label on it "SAD" or Seasonal Affective Disorder.

At that time, I immersed myself in my work and continuing education so I could excel in taxes and accounting. This meant my winters were filled with tons of work and a marginal social life, but it kept me so busy with the carrot-on-a-string that I managed to make it through the depressive winters.

I wasn't fond of long commutes or spending time in my car, so I bought a house as close to my downtown office as possible. This ended up being a 3-5 minute drive to work. In those days, work and home were kept strictly separate. I needed the peace and tranquility of home to rejuvenate my brain for such exhaustive work. Before computers and modern calculators, it was necessary to be superbly detailed in hand writing, math and tax law to make sure each tax return was done perfectly.

Over half my annual income was earned before April 15th (the carrot on a string). Coming home after a long day at the office, I would shed the suit, trading for comfy clothes then build a fire in the living room. Once it was going good, I built another one in my bedroom. My winter evenings were spent relaxing with my pets by one fire or the other.

When April 16th rolled around, we closed the office, refusing to answer our home phones. I would sleep late, then pack my bags. April 17th I would be on a jet to somewhere exotic for a a week or two.

This was my first career, which lasted 14 years. I've been lucky to have pursued several vastly different careers since then. But those were some good old days.


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