Back when we lived in cold and dreary Pittsburgh, my wife and I would travel during my meager 1 week vacation to warm sunny places like Hilton Head Island, Fort Lauderdale and Deep Creek Lake.
We had fantastic vacations. We’d eat delicious food in restaurants. We’d drink wine. We’d rent jet skis and boats. But mostly, we’d lounge around the water soaking in the sun, reading and spending time together relaxing. For a week, I wouldn’t look at email, set an alarm clock or even think about work.
I hated going back to work after it was all over.
I’d shift from relaxed and contented to stressed and depressed. The Sunday before returning to work was the absolute worst. I’d dread the upcoming year of drudgery before we could again get a week of respite.
I’d spend the entire year trying to make enough money to pay down the credit card charges we ran up for that week while longing for our next vacation.
After every vacation, I’d fantasize about how we could relocate there. I’d check out the local business to see if there was one I could buy (despite being flat broke and in debt). I’d look for jobs and sometimes even send resumes. I’d mope around depressed for weeks as my tan slowly faded while my relaxed state of mind was replaced by the daily grind of work.
Then one day, back in 2000, Ellen and I had a serious talk about moving to Florida.
I was sick of winter and my job. We missed our kids (my stepkids). Both had moved to Florida the previous year to live with their father.
I loved Fort Lauderdale and was ready to move asap. My wife still liked Pittsburgh, but the pull of the kids was really strong.
After a few months of searching, I found a job. We sold our house in Pittsburgh, loaded the dogs in the car and drove 1200 miles to our new home.
I couldn’t believe it!
For the next year, we went to the beach nearly every single day.
My first job in Florida didn’t work out so well. I was fired and the company went bankrupt. But my next job was with a startup. Despite the dotcom crash, it went pretty well.
We saw the kids all the time. We spent holidays together as a family. I went swimming on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, while my friends up north shoveled snow.
I loved it.
Since then, we’ve relocated up and down the east coast several times for work or family (or both).
- Ellen got sick and needed long term treatment – we moved to Pittsburgh for medical care.
- Liz, our daughter passed away. Ellen, Zack and I were devastated – we moved back to Florida to be close to Zack.
- I got a new job – we moved to Raleigh for 4 years.
- We relocated back to Florida for the 3rd (and hopefully last) time.
We never planned to leave Raleigh this last time.
When we moved there, Ellen was worried because Zack was staying behind in Miami. I reassured her that we could fly to see Zack anytime. We’d also fly him to see us frequently.
It didn’t turn out that way.
Over the next four years, we saw Zack three times. I was working all the time. Ellen didn’t want to fly alone. Zack flew up for a few long weekends, but he had a job, a business and a busy life.
I had a good job. We had a beautiful house. Our neighborhood was the nicest we’d ever lived in.
While in Raleigh, I had received several job offers from different companies. Each was a big promotion but required relocation. We considered moving to Philadelphia (too cold), Oregon (too rainy and as far from Zack in the continental US as possible), Utah (we’re not Mormon and it snows there), Silicon Valley (teardown houses start at $1M) and a few other cities.
The offers were good. The companies interesting. But we missed Zack more.
So in early 2016, I said to Ellen
“My company is never going to open the Raleigh sales office like they promised to do when I was hired. I’ve been remote for 2 years and will be remote for the rest of my time with them. If there was ever a good time for us to return to Florida, it’s now.”
And so, for one last time, we sold the house and moved back to Florida.
My company eliminated my position and let me go 6 months later.
Although this was unexpected, this became the catalyst that drove me to launch Inside Sales Dude and to downshift so I could enjoy life in the slow lane.
Today I can work from anywhere. My schedule is flexible. My hours are part-time. I work more on my own projects than I do for pay.
Many people in our position would want to travel.
Not us.
We have structured our lives around the things that bring us pleasure.
I workout a lot and spend time outdoors everyday. Between exercising, walking biking and dog walking I’m outside at least 4-6 hours a day. I also work on my business, read and write two blogs.
My wife gardens like a crazed landscape laborer. She’s working in the yard nearly 6-8 hours everyday. She loves it. When she’s not working, she’s usually talking on the phone to our son Zack , her sister or her brother.
We see Zack every week.
We spend lots of time with our cats, our dog and each other.
Our lives are good.
I’ve traveled a bunch for business and a bit for pleasure.
If at all possible, I have no intention of ever getting on a plane again. I also don’t plan on relocating again.
We’ll see.
I’ve said this all before.