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Random Musings Blog archives

Back to the rat race

February 24, 2006 by Joanne Brokaw

I admit that my life is always a bit like being on vacation. No boss breathing down my neck and a schedule that allows me to work when I'm at my most creative. It's why I have to enforce daily working hours for myself or I'd slack off so much I'd just quit.

But coming home from a vacation is the pits. I have almost 200 emails (and I was checking some while I was in Key West). And Jimmy, my mailman, hasn't even shown up yet with the pile of mail from the last 10 days. Since GMA week is looming ahead in about a month I'm sure there are loads of press kits, along with bills that I forgot to pay before we left. David's back at work, working three 13 hour days in a row to catch up on the hours he missed while we were away.

Back to the rat race.

Or not. I've realized lately that a long time ago I made a conscious choice to drop out of the rat race. I don't have cable, a Palm Pilot, Blackberry or other cyberpacifer. I love my 80 year old house with the bats in the attic and the postcard sized yard. I drove my last car until it died and will do the same with this one, which I bought used.

I would love to move to Key West. I would happily sell my house and car and go live in a trailer park and ride a bike and eat fish we caught in the ocean.

Of course, like every vacationer to Key West who dreams about dropping out of society and moving there, we picked up some real estate guides, just for fun. A trailer like his parents' (which is on an ocean access canal) goes for at least $700,000. A trailer in a park with no water access? $600,000. A house in Key West? Millions. Which means to be able to afford to live out of the rat race you have to continue to work in it.

Kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

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