back to the rat race. urgh.. how i wish i'm retired and just working on my personal orchard. i still have about 40 yrs to go before retiring way things are going now days. 

happy new yrs to everyone and hope everyone's wish comes try this yr!

good luck. And keep your head up bud.

If you are that young, then start thinking how to transition your professional life to something that you will find satisfying. Doing something you enjoy and find meaningful makes 40-50 hr work weeks seem much less burdensome.

I realize not everyone can support their family doing what they love, but even incremental moves in that direction will help make life less stressful and more satisfying.

i'm pushing 50. career change isn't in my future, unless i win lottery. lol

Gascony and Gene - thanks for you thoughtful comments.  It seems to be a quandary of modern life - spending most of your waking hours in a soul-sucking job to pay the bills when you would rather be doing work where it is much easier to see something tangible come out of your efforts.  But figuring out how to make that sort of work pay the bills is not easy. Going out to the garden (or checking my indoor figs in the off-season) after many hours of being in front of a computer really helps keep me sane.  On other hand I'm really thankful I have (in many ways) a good job and work with nice people.  There's a lot people out of work out there...

I think that is why we all grow things. ((BTW...winter in Kansas is really hard on me, being from Georgia, LOL... Never gotten used to this cold...it's 11*F outside right now with snow)
Anyway...I feel incredibly grateful that I have time to play in my garden...it is pure zen therapy from the everyday crap in life and at work. There is this fellow who walks his schnauzer past my house every day and like a pleasant person, i used to ask him, " hi, how are you..?" and he always replied , " don't bother to ask.." so i stopped asking. he continued allowing his dog to crap in my yard and pee on my lonicera growing up my mailbox. I let it go.

Like a child seeking attention, he started making sarcastic comments, like, " you keep planting things, you'll have a lot of upkeep years down the road whennit comes time to cut it all down..." i would shrug or just ignore him....
Then one day, he saw me watering my plants in summertime and said, " for all that work you do in your garden.... i wonder who pays your water bill?"
( i don't even have a sprinkler system, but a drip system and rain barrels...but I do use the hose a fair amount in the heat of summer when rain is scarce)

That did it. After ignoring him for the greater part of a year, i replied " this work I do is in lieu of my medication and therapy. So it is not work. And my water bill is being paid by the welfare check that comes each month!"

He never bothered me again! LOL.

My point is, some people will never understand the calming, zen effect that working the earth gives to some people--- no matter how difficult, it is calming, soothing, satisfying....and innate. Too bad this fellow has no reprieve or sanctity in his life from the chaos in his head.

Ha! Good story!