It is interesting to see what everyone does.
I still don't understand how some people have so much time to sit at
computer--must be faster at typing than I am :-)
Several years ago, with a young son in prep school
an hour's drive each way twice a day, a vet husband who was on call
24/7 and myself working 60 hours a week at a high stress job- we knew
we had to make a change. One day, as we sat down to eat at 10 PM
hoping the beeper wouldn't go off, while wondering if either one of us
remembered to fill the water trough, wondering when we could pick up a load of
hay for the horses we never rode, and who was going to drive Bryan to school the
next day, we finally just said WHOA!
I left my job and opened a kennel/daycare/grooming
business (ok, not a easier job, but not trying to please a BoD and the public
all the time), my husband left his large and small animal practice and took a
job as a field vet for the state - less money but regular hours, pay and
benefits, and we actually started to ride again.
Now I have downsized even more by selling my first
business and having just a little grooming shop with a partner. We both
work half time and have more business than we can accommodate. It gives me
the option to block off amounts of time on the calendar and just not schedule
clients on ride dates. My partner rides also, and we just have
decided that we have enough business that if people can't schedule around our
need to ride, they can go down the road to have their shitzue washed! The
big key is having a business partner who agrees with that philosophy. I am
thankful every day for her - when we moved 40 miles away, I stayed on and drive
three days a week, because I know how good I have it.
With the kid graduating college this month
(yeah!!! 8.5 years of tuition over!!) and having sold our big farm and
moving to my family's farm, we are free free free!!! Mark has ample
personal time, vacation time and holidays off---YIPPEE!! We used to work
every holiday and especially Christmas so the kennel help could have the day
off, first cleaning and feeding at the hospital and then at the SPCA I ran....it
sucked.
I guess the moral of this story is that if you
want something bad enough (to JUST RIDE) you can structure your life
around it. Had we stayed on the course we were on, I could afford a big LQ
and a fancy truck (and ulcers to boot), but not have time to ride. As it
is, I can ride three days a week in the forest and mountains that I
love and go to rides most anytime I want--that's what is
important to us in life....
