When I turned 54 years old, everything just changed.
Looking back now, I can see that there were some giant flags/ warning signals out there but still, I didn’t see what was coming at all.
I guess once the youngsters were out of the family house and off to school, I became depressed. That depression worsened when my spouse decided that she didn’t want to be married anymore. To settle things amicably, we replaced the Heating and A/C machine in that house and later sold it as part of a quite amicable divorce. And like every time that I faced hard emotional times, I threw myself into my work. It wasn’t that I was a workaholic or anything, but the HVAC job was my only solace or so I thought. That wasn’t it at all. But through all of my adult life, I could hide my worries in my work. It was just one huge coping mechanism really. Well this time, it didn’t work. One day when on the way to the HVAC offices, I’m told I collapsed and ended up hospitalized. I simply had a major breakdown to the point where I almost died. That was apparently my lowest point. But that was also the door to my most authentic self. These days, there is no way I can exceed 80 work hours in a week. I still work in the HVAC industry but I have slowed it down now. Additionally, I am starting from scratch in a tiny cabin out in the woods. On the side, I also do some consulting to keep myself happy since money isn’t a major concern since life is just so straight-forward. However, I’m grateful to have a ductless heat pump that helps with air conditioning in this cabin. And that’s about as extravagant as I get these days.