The Opposite Of Being Woke IS Being Asleep

 

I'm a Stats Geek and so I couldn't help but be blown away that the Ole' Blog now has almost 4 Million Views and closing in fast on surpassing that!   {Pats Self on the Back rather smugly.}  That's a lot of folks randomly popping in to a minuscule slice of my Silly little bit of Stream of my Consciousness Cyberspace Platform, so it boggles my Mind, How or Why they even would?  *Bwahahaha*  Most Dear Readers are Anonymous and just Lurk, but that's okay, I don't always Comment on a lot of Blogs I read regularly either.   Only a scant few, if I have something to say in response to a Post I wanna Engage with, or feel a deeper connection with the Blogger.   The Son will be Happy, I got up super duper ridiculously early to Shower and get Dressed Today, after a Three Day Funk of all Funks, it was Time.  No Mental Health Intervention now needed.  *Winks* 

 And, he was getting concerned and telling me I needed to or I'd be getting Ripe and was Wallowing now, which, he could be Right about that last part, I felt like Swine Possessed?!  *Bwahaha*  Just rolling out of Bed had been hard for over 48 Hours, so, he knew I was pushing hard just to get him, and his Niece, to Work and Home every Day in that condition.  I have to Work Tonight, so, couldn't go in wearing 4 Day Old Jammies and no Shower, looking like a Wildly Insane Woman, now could I?  *LMAO*   I would Argue that I could... and it might be Fun to... I ain't gonna Lie, I'm a Shameless Rebel like that to break some Societal Rules of propriety just for the Social Reaction to it.  It Amuses me to sometimes Wind Up the rigidly Uptight folks, it's Wicked Fun to me.  Why do they even Care so much what other folks do?  Shrugs.  *Smiles*

So, I'm all dressed up even, with nowhere to go, at 3:30 in the Morning on a Friday, can I get a whoop whoop?!   I dressed to impress even, so I might just attend that Event after all?   Day Two isn't usually as Bum Rushed as Opening Day, and if it is and there's no Parking close by when it's time to Open the Doors, I'll just drive off and do something else I enjoy.   I'm not standing in Lines in the Heat or Walking in from the Lower Forty if no good Parking exists in the Heat either, and there is already a High Advisory Heat Warning showing up on my Computer Screen for the day again.

  It hovered between 118-120 Yesterday and the Record breaking has just begun, June is usually the Month for it, so, hang on, Climate Change is Real and becoming more evident every single Season now.  I don't even know how there can still be Deniers, but, Politically there are too, so there is Mass Deniability going on it seems, about everything that should be quite Evident, even to those with the lowest of Intellectual Capacity.   But, I realize, you can't Fix Stupid, and Natural Selection eventually takes out those that can't or won't adapt and evolve sufficiently to Survive.   And if the Stupid Succumb, we're better off Collectively I think, coz they Vote and Breed.

Listen, I just give Voice and utterance to those things a lot of people just Think and don't say out loud.  The Son and I talked about this very Topic with The Niece in Oklahoma on a Group Call, whilst we gave utterance to some very Dark inappropriate Humor that you can't just say to most People, but amongst ourselves, we just do, while we Laugh so hard our Sides hurt.   The Man doesn't like Dark or Gallow's Humor and how Macabre my Tribe can be, and I know a lot of people are like him that way.   So there's actually a lot I don't even say on the Ole' Blog out of consideration and respect for that Fact.  *Bwahahaha* 

  Yes, Believe it or not I DO hold back and Dial it back SOME!!!  But, if those of you in my Tribe were in Person, we'd have that Exchange, and Laugh our Asses off inappropriately.  *Winks*  You KNOW your own Tribe and People, and I like diversity and embrace it, so I don't want everyone to be just like me.  I know I am a total Weirdo and very Free in my ways, it would be Boring and Limiting to only be around a Monolith of Humans like yourself and so I expand my Horizons not to be on purpose.  Some of you are the Yang {Heaven, Heat & Light}, to my Yin.  {Earthy, Dark & Cold}

I discovered that I'll have to drag The Son along as entourage when I attend my Event.  Coz he gets off Work at 9:30 a.m. Today and my Event Opens at 10:00 a.m. and I'm not driving all the way Downtown Twice to take him Home first.   He can't complain so will have to be along for the Ride.  Even tho' my Events aren't his Jam, being an unpaid Uber that has to wake up ridiculous Hours for these Kiddos to get to Work... and then picked up in the Middle of my Morning or Day, isn't my Jam either.  *Winks*  And Sunday The Daughter has a Cleaning Job in the East Valley I take her to and from.

She is still doing some side Work with Mando and they still have that Toxic Union they each can't seem to drop.  Coz they're just not compatible, he's Dying and very controlling and possessive, she's Crazy and cannot commit to any particular Human, but, now they just don't have it here, I banned it being here.   Tho' he was being almost too Helpful to endear himself to us, I didn't like the direction their Relationship was going or how he treated her.   So, it was gonna cause a Situation with her Dad, Brother, Niece and I confronting him angrily if he kept coming around and Emotionally deregulating and projecting it outwards while visiting our Home.  It wasn't Okay and he was told it wasn't... so he was Dancing on Thin Ice already.  This is my Circus and my Monkeys after all!!!

 He had overstepped Boundaries here at our Big Top and 3 Ring Circus, with a Loved One of ours and we don't put up with that Shit, we're all fiercely Protective of one another.   The Flying Monkeys and Wicked Witch of the West here were being prodded by him too much, so I had to put a Stop to it before it escalated.  And when Triggered, Dark Dawn is not Nice or to be trifled with.  The Man and The Son are fiercely protective of us Gals too.  And Princess T is of her Mom and Grandpa, knowing her Mom and The Man are vulnerable Adults.  So, I just didn't want him around me, her or the rest of the Family ON our Home Turf anymore.  But, they're both Grown, and both have their Issues, so what Grown Ass folks wanna tolerate elsewhere is their business, not mine, they're just NOT doing it here... Be Well and Be fucking Gone.

Coz if you fall too far Down this here Rabbit Hole, you might not be able to Crawl back Out if you piss off the Residents.  *Winks*  The Daughter got in a tizzy about it for a Minute and threatened to leave too, I called her bluff and said, "Well, ya gotta do whatever you feel is Right..."   She relented about 20 Minutes later, since, it's not as if he's willing or able to Support her, he could be in a Hospice relatively soon, and I think Pity is what is holding her anyway.  She'd feel bad abandoning a Dying Boyfriend.  It's a long Story but the Love of her Life was a Pro Boxer in Mexico and America, Retired, who got Cancer and Died of it.  At the very End she couldn't Emotionally handle it and turned him over to his Family to put into Hospice.  He felt she Abandoned him, but she could no longer meet him at his Point of Need nor was Well enuf herself to be a Full Time Caregiver or watch him Die horribly.  She has much Guilt over that still tho'.

I felt this Relationship should never have been coz when she met this Guy he already had Terminal Diagnosis and Stage 4, nothing more can be done for him, as far as we know from what he says anyway.  We met him thru our Dear Next Door Elderly Neighbors who knew him from Church.   Now, I've known people who had illness and preyed on the Pity of it to manipulate other people, so might exaggerate their condition, so, who knows except them and their Doctors?   Our Niece, in typical Gallow's Humor Darkness deadpanned, she has known The Daughter all their Lives, and if he's taking too long to Die, it will never Work.  *OMG, I couldn't help it, The Son and I Laughed along with her about that Dark Truth... I know, I know... we're all Pigs and we're all going to Hell!!!  Bwahahaha*

Thing is, I don't know he's Dying at all?  He says he is, but I don't see any deterioration in the time we've known him.  Which is a Positive for him and best Outcome, but not so much his Relationship with The Daughter, given, they argue and Fight A LOT!   So, he's poking The Beast and that's not Safe and kinda a Death Wish in so many ways too, should he lapse and forget how Bat Shit Cray-Cray she is.   So I told him perhaps he's not Dying, nobody has an Expiration Date stamped on their Ass anyway, and nobody is Dead 'til God says so.   And I've known people with a Terminal Diagnosis who've lasted for Decades and lived to a ripe Old Age in spite of grim Prognosis and given a premature Expiration Date by Health Professionals.  It cannot always be Explained.

Some people last and the Docs scratch their Heads and cannot figure out Why?   Some succumb right away, you just can never tell.   My Brother was given a Terminal Diagnosis when he was in his 30's and mere Weeks to Live, he's in his 60's now, his Docs still marvel and cannot explain it, he SHOULD be long Dead they still say.  My Uncle in Wales was given a Terminal Diagnosis in his 40's, he outlived 4 of his Doctors, lived to be 90, and didn't Die of his inoperable malignant Tumors either.   I've defied some Odds and Grim Prognosis myself.  Since the Age of 5 when Docs told my Parents I wouldn't Live to be 6... or be able to ever have Children.  

Well, I was Fertile Myrtle and had all my Kids while using Birth Control, and now I'm almost 70 too.  Go figure... they weren't Right. *LOL and Winks*   So, mebbe it's why I have always been Macabre and so Dark, yet also Deeply Spiritual and connected to the Spirit World, since, apparently I was supposed to Cross Over long ago and just didn't?  It's a Wild Theory.  *LMAO*   Anyway, I Won some killer Primo Antique Ornate Pair of Door Hinges on E-Bay, and an Eastlake Antique Lot of Primo Antique Ornate Hinges and sliding matching Door Lock on a Buy-It-Now reduced Sale Auction for them... so, that was my Retail Therapy whilst Wallowing.  {See Haul Below}

Well, NO, I don't NEED any of it, natch, but, that's never Stopped me before, and if I went to Therapy for it, they'd make me Stop, and I'm having too much Fun and don't want to Stop.  *Winks*   Besides, Resale I always do very, very Well with my Architectural Salvage that I've Hoarded Up over a Lifetime and mostly got for Free or someone Paid me to Haul away before anyone considered it had considerable Value.  So, now I always still Scout around to find the Bargains, which are fewer and further between these Days when everyone should know the Value and Cash In on it, but often don't or won't.   Perhaps in another Life this all meant something more to me than in this Life, coz I sure have a very Strange affinity with it and I couldn't tell you Why?  

My Buddhist Welsh Gran-Gran would have told me it was due to my previous Reincarnations leading me towards my eventual Enlightenment and Bodhi, The Awakening and Liberation from the Cycles of Suffering.  I don't know how far along I am in that Process, still more than Average amounts of Suffering going on, to be sure, so, I may have a ways to go yet?  *LOL and Le Sigh*   But, definitely I think I could be further along that some, who seem to have Zero Enlightenment at all and are fast Asleep and can't seem to get Woke at all?   In fact, they see being Woke as a Bad Thing to avoid and Hate any of our Wokeness, when, if they just thought about it a Minute, the Opposite of Woke IS Asleep, after all.  *Winks*   I don't mind being Woke at all, if you Sleep your way thru Life you are gonna miss a lot you should be paying Attention to that is going Haywire and terribly Wrong, but, you won't Notice.  And your Inaction can be dangerous, even potentially fatal.

The Man got up Early too and he doesn't Need to and he's not Inviting himself along Today, I'm certainly not up to that yet.  *LOL and Le Sigh*  If I manage to make it to my Event with just The Son having to be in Tow, I'll consider it a minor Victory.  If I manage to make it in to Work Tonight, even more so, coz I'm waffling about that possibility, or just calling in and letting them replace me?   I'm on the Fence about that for now, we'll wait until they Open at 9:00 a.m. and see how I'm Feeling later this Morning and if I think I could pull a Four Hour Night Shift or not?   I only JUST managed a Shower and getting Dressed in the past Deep Funk 3-4 Days, Baby Steps.   Sure, I could use the minuscule amount of Comped Space Rent they parse out, but, I could make more Money doing Aluminum Recycling Environmental Cleanup and enjoy it more actually.  So, not much Incentive given.

And, I still Feel a little Witchy and Bitchy, so, there's THAT.  *Winks*   And my first Shipment of Rx Supplies showed up from Express Scripts, with a ridiculous amount Billed, so there better be a shitload more coming for that Price?!   I suspect there is, they been blowing up my Phone crazily, and they call you and then put your Ass on Hold for an Hour, WTF?!   Then the Question they Claim their Pharmacist had for you, isn't so Important that the Fucker picks up his/her Phone to ask you what was so Urgent they incessantly called and then put you on Hold rather than just spitting it out and not wasting your time and patience?!  Turns out they needed to know what Test Strips I use and finally I got fed up after 1.5 Hours on Held Calls they made TO me, and just Texted them the Info... Christ on a Bike, between Bots that I Hate to Deal with... and when you get Humans putting you on Hold... and Insurance Coverage Fiascos and Federal Earned Benefits Cuts... it's enuf to make Clients go fucking Postal, just to get their Meds, isn't it?!

I don't even know Why I always even have Low Blood Pressure?  It ought to be fucking Sky High, given the rigamarole I'm always being subjected to by The System... and the Residents here at The Asylum.  *Winks*  LATER:  The Event was good and I got front Parking, it wasn't too busy right at Opening on Day No. 2 of the 4 Day Event.  The Son actually was able to meet me there.   I'd had Breakfast Downtown at "Snooze" earlier, and did some Non-Perishable Grocery Shopping at "Whole Foods" and "Trader Joe's" while in the East Valley.  They were outta a Whole lotta Foods at "Whole Foods" and had apology Letters on most of the Shelves, due to Supply Chain Shortages, especially of Imported Foods.  "Trader Joe's" was the same, and I have been expecting this to happen by June, and Tariff caused Shortages showing up glaringly so by now.  So, I can't say I wasn't Surprised.

I got a Call from my Doc's Office, my Labs came back with some Bad News about my Diabetes not being Controlled, which we kinda already knew that due to her changing my Weekly Injectable from Trulicity to Ozempic in Hopes that Controls it better?   But my A1C had gone up from 6.1 to 8.1, which is a big jump, considering I'm not doing anything differently with Diet and I'm Exercising a lot more, so much I've had Overuse and why I had the Foot Problem recently.   So, they've instructed me to go a whole Month with NO Carbs, NO White Products, NO Sugars... just Veggies and Proteins, and see if that doesn't bring it down?   She'll see me then in 6 Weeks instead of 6 Months too and do more Labs then.  *Le Sigh*   I'm also gonna challenge myself to drink a Gallon of Water every day to see if that also is Helpful?

After getting that shitty Call from the Doc's Office I did Buy One item at the Event from my Friend Big Kenny, whose lost about 135 Lbs. now and said he did it drinking a Gallon of Water Daily, cutting all Carbs and Fried Foods, and just eating Turkey Patties and more Boiled Eggs as his major Proteins and as Snacks.   He looks fantastic and said he Feels fantastic and now can't even eat Carbs or Fried Foods, they literally make him Feel Sick and he Hates them now and doesn't want to ever eat them again.   So, he had this Killer Deal on a European Antique Stained Glass Window, so, I bought that.   Just that, wasn't Tempted to Buy anything else.  The Son actually had a good time visiting with all my Friends who are Designers there and he hasn't seen for a Decade!   It's been that long since he'd come with me to one of the Events, Time sure Flies!  Yep, last time he was just turning 29 when he came with his Ex, the Kids and I in June and now he's turning 39 this June. 

My Friend Troy, who Owns a huge 14 Acre Historic Chateau in the South of France told The Son if he ever wants to work off a Vacay in the South of France and stay there, he can.  Troy means it and had some good Stories to tell of the last time he was in France doing Work on the Chateau.  He'd never gone to the Fourth Floor yet, which used to be the Servant's Quarters.  So, when he went up there this Spring he said every Room on that Floor is Hoarded with Priceless Antiquities and Art!!  He's an Antiques Dealer, of the highest caliber, and said he has Inventory now to last his Lifetime.  The whole Chateau came furnished with Priceless Antiques and he just discovered a 1962 Alpha Romeo Convertible in the Carriage House that was hidden by bales of Hay in front of it!!!  He'd had his Staff donate the Hay to Farmers and they uncovered the Car hiding behind it all!!!   Troy has some of the best True Stories.

Well, he called the previous Owner who Sold him the Property to tell him he'd accidentally left his Car and the Guy told him to just Keep it, he didn't Need or want it!!!   He had it Appraised and it's worth $162,000 coz it's Mint Condition!   He said he'll probably have to Sell it in Europe, he doesn't wanna keep it coz he can't drive anything with the Steering Wheel on the opposite side.  *Smiles*   But, that was a Sweet Gift the Seller just gave to him.   He said the Chateau is a lot of Work and Annual Expense, they're not Cheap to Keep Up or Own, but the Locals are so Grateful an American bought it who has a Love and Appreciation for History and is Preserving it and letting the Original Caretakers live there for Free in exchange for just taking Care of the place for him.   He said Local Farmers are allowed by him to use the 14 Acres as well, so the whole Village kind of looks after it on his behalf when he can't be there.   It's a big Chateau and has 10 Bedrooms!

I haven't downloaded my Pixs I took at the Event yet, but I did take a slew of them for Blog Fodder.   They hadn't taken so many for their Sneak Peek Online this time around, the Theme was a New one they hadn't had before "Good Day Sunshine".   How each Designer interpreted that Theme was quite diverse so it was a very Eclectic Show with lots of different Styles and I liked that diversity and range of Product in the various Vignettes of each Designer's Space.   It is sometimes hard to pull together enuf Merch for a Specific Theme or risk that whatever that Genre of Product is will be well received by Buyers.   I don't think I'd want to be pressed to pull together a Themed Space right now, Sourcing Product for Themes is no easy task these days if you don't already have the Inventory in your Stock.

While perusing my Photo Archives I came across every House we almost Bought but the Sellers couldn't Perform, so, we couldn't.  Even the original Pixs from Viewing this House the first time when our Bid was Outbid by Five other prospective Buyers, who all ended up being unable to Perform, and so the Sellers contacted us to ask if we still wanted it for our Original Offer/Bid?   Of coarse we did, this had been THE House that all of us felt would be the most suitable in Location and every other way.  It had been completely Remodeled just Four Years Prior to us Buying it, in Urban Farmhouse Style with high end products that I would have chosen myself, every single bit of it was my preference and most desired Colors and Granite, Fixtures and Cabinetry, and Appliances, all brand New, still Tags on the Appliances, never used by the Sellers.   

So, it was nice to see the Old Pixs of the day we Toured it, when it was empty of everything.  Sometimes the Minimalism of that Appeals to me still, even tho' I'm a confessed Maximalist.   In due time I may just Curate, Edit and Purge more Excess and Extra out of the Main House.  For the first Two Years we lived here I intentionally didn't bring much in and I liked it and how easy it was to take care of with less.   So, tho' I don't know how spartan I will eventually want it, that is a Goal now once we get everything else completed that we plan to and start Selling Off more and more.   I can do the Maximalist Thang in The RV Garage Mahal if I still want to and just Minimalize and Simplify the Main House as we get Older.   I've included an original Pix of our Kitchen here and one of a Drone Shot the Listing Agent had done of the front of the Property taken from the Aerial View facing Northeast.  I'm glad I Saved some of those Pixs in the Photo Archives.

Anyway, it was Fun to Look Back at all the Properties that had Appealed to us enuf that we would have and could have Bought any of them.  Well, had the Sellers not been a Hot Mess, which was really quite a Surprise how many People Selling a Home couldn't Perform and had Clouded Title or some such barriers preventing them from actually being able to Close a Sale... usually it's the Buyers who can't!!!   We'd been already Pre-Qualified and Pre-Approved by the VA well in advance, so we knew we could Close in 48 Hours.   And I wanted to Close while Interest Rates were only at 2%, to me that was like Free Government Money!  *Winks*   I mean, I'd had Paid Off Properties in the Past, which is better of coarse, not having a Mortgage at all, but the next best thing if you must take on another Mortgage, and Homes are now too expensive to Pay Cash for, is to have Cheap Money lent to you.

I remember when Arizona Real Estate was so inexpensive you could just pay Cash for a Home.   Now Cars and Trucks cost more than Arizona Real Property used to be!!!   In the 1970's the average Home Price in a good area was around $23,000, some areas that were just barely outside the Cities and considered County Property were as low as $8,000 in those Days and are well within City Limits now.    Now shitty little Subdivision Hell Cookie Cutter Houses are upwards of $400,000!   The Standard VA Loan Limit now is around $510,000, only Five Years ago it was only at $488,000, but that could buy you a lot of house then.   That's how much they've had to adjust just for Inflation in the Housing Market, and now only to buy a much lesser Home, and just for Veterans with Full Entitlement.   Only the D.C. area they allow much more.  Which is kinda ridiculous that expensive States like Cali have the same VA Limits on Loans as States like Mississippi!!!

The Cost of Housing, and even Cost of Living, varies Wildly from State to State and even City to City or parts of each City.   So those considering Retirement really should do their due diligence to see if they can even afford to Retire somewhere or not?   Arizona used to be a Retirement Mecca, it is no more, too expensive now, too many Migrations from expensive States which have driven up Prices here and the Cost of Living.   And Investors have crippled a lot of the Market coz they pay Cash and anyone requiring a Loan cannot compete with that.   So all the affordable Housing now gets snapped up by Greedy Investors who'll either flip 'em for Profit, or Rent them out... and Buy Up all of them.   Regular People rarely can find a Fixer Upper anymore that requires Sweat Equity, coz Home Flippers Buy them all now.  And so many Home Flippers molest these Homes they Buy Up and do shitty Remodels on to turn the biggest Profits.

We were so fortunate that the Remodel done on our Home was done by an Owner before the Young Couple we Bought it from, and she was an Older Lady who was a Real Estate Agent and lived here.  Her Husband built The RV Garage Mahal too, and I got to meet them last Year when they drove by and said they were glad we had Bought it and appreciated all they had done to it.   But, they were an Elderly Couple and needed something smaller and less upkeep than a Mini Farm.  They weren't going to be Multi-Generational Living, like so many of the Families in our Neighborhood at the Mini Farm Community do, so they just had no desire to Keep it and apparently had nobody to Inherit it, so they Cashed Out.   They are the ones that had it Custom Built in 1980.   

Of coarse Styles and Aesthetic has altered considerably since 1980, and some things about a Vintage Home or are Outdated are no longer desirable or a Selling Point.   Like it might be in a Historic Home or a Cool Mid-Century Modern Home, that you should leave Original, coz folks really want that when Buying certain Genres and Eras of Real Estate.  So, they completely Updated and Remodeled it Four Years before we bought it, and they were Selling it to the Young Couple we bought it from.  They knew they could maximize their Equity by making it Urban Farmhouse Style and do a Quality Job of it.   Our understanding is the Young Couple ran their Trucking Business out of it, but were on the Road so much as Full Time Truckers, they had to hire people, Neighbors mostly, like TJ & Rob, to Maintain it FOR them, they were almost never here.

And after they Sold it to us, I suspect they got into Financial difficulties with their Business coz we got a lot of Collection Mail from Creditors they owed Money to and were still saying this was their Address!   The same thing happened to the Cali Air B&B Investor that bought The Villa McManse out in affluent Subdivision Hell, they owed Money and were having Collections, coz their Creditors were calling us and asking if we knew how to contact them?   Nope, Sold it, got released from our Loan, which got Paid in Full, and conveyed to their Lender who underwrote their Loan, they didn't Assume a Loan from us, so we were released from all Liability of Deficiencies they might then have later on if they defaulted.   I was in the Biz too long to allow stupid shit when Selling that comes back to Haunt Sellers if their Buyers flake out later, even Years later.  Since Legislature can Change. 

Arizona didn't used to be a deficiency State when I was in the Business of running Departments for major Financial Institutions, as far as I know we're still an Anti-Deficiency State that protects Borrowers.  In a deficiency State a Borrower can be liable for the difference between the outstanding Loan Balance and the Sale Price of their Home after a Foreclosure or Short Sale.    Even if they Sold it to someone else who Assumed their Original Loan and they're not even the Borrower any longer, but still have the Liability with having had the Original Loan.  When I ran Collections, Foreclosures and Bankruptcy Departments for Real Property for various Lenders, we often had Properties in as many as 14 Different States and the Laws vary State to State about many things involving Real Estate.  

It's a lot to have to know then to run those Departments and protect your Lender's Interests in all of them they have Property Loans in.  And protect the various Investors of those Loans, like the VA, FHA, FNMA, FreddieMac and all Private Investors that can be numerous entities, which will likely have any Foreclosed Properties Conveyed to them afterwards.   Very few Lenders will Keep an REO Property unless there's a lot of Equity to make Money on once they acquire it.   It was my Job to decide which Properties would go to REO and which would be Conveyed back to an Investor, and then do the Conveyance.   During a Conveyance the Lender will usually take a hit, which is why many States are Deficiency States.   So they don't have to Write Off such Losses and go after whoever is on the Hook for the Deficiency they incurred when the Home defaulted upon gets Sold with a shortfall after it became Bank and Investor Acquired.

By now I have forgotten so much of what I used to have to know about all that and about handling Files for the DA's Office too.  I could empty my Head of most of it and never look back upon the Corporate Grind of either Corporate Life and Career I Retired from.   The Stress of those Careers was pretty high and a lot of Responsibility, so, I don't miss it one iota.  I miss the Income of coarse, especially of Corporate Banking as a Bank Executive, which Paid very well.   *LOL*   The DA's Office not so well, since Prosecution isn't where the Money is at, it's in Defense, but, the State/County Careers did have good Benefits while you were still Working and we needed that for The Man's Health decline.  He had Eleven Surgeries the first couple Years I Worked at the DA's Office, so I considered that considerable Medical Outlay my Benefits mostly covered as part of my 'Income/Salary'... coz it was exceeding a Million Annually when he was so Sickly and couldn't Work, so had to finally be Medically Retired by the DOD and the Military.  

 Plus, for me, juggling Full Time Caregiving of Two Special Needs Grandkids I was Raising, really as a Single Parent after The Man's TBI, and then when The Man also required Full Time Caregiving, maintaining demanding Careers was completely out of the question after a while, too much to Juggle.   So, I've been 'allegedly' Retired a long time now, I no longer have to get up to Go to Work, I wake up and it's all around me.  *Winks*   I was thinking recently tho', that the Illusion of being Retired is actually a very nice Time and Season of my Life really, better than slogging away at any Corporate Grind and having that much Time away from your Loved Ones, no matter how well it Paid.   Now I just Work when I Want to and that's far more Blissful, and the doing of just what I Love and not just what makes Big Bank coz you're Chasing the Big Bucks and have that Ambition in your Eyes.

*******

Now my Ambition is to Savor Retirement & Family Time... Dawn... The Bohemian