Chasing money away from your honey

 It comes as no surprise that I talk to everyone, about anything. I’m a talker and I love telling and hearing stories. I am fascinated by the human condition and how uniquely everyone sees the world. As we have been traveling, we have had the opportunity to meet more and more people from more and more places. The other day the husband met someone from Delaware, and I realized I know nothing about Delaware other than from Wayne’s World, and their point was also that they knew nothing about Delaware.

We obviously meet a lot of people who travel for work in the hotels we stay in, because that’s why we stay in a hotel. New Orleans is a bit unique because this is the first place we have been where you have many people staying in the hotel who live here. We met a gentleman this morning who is working renovating an apartment complex that is a little less than 5 minutes away, who only lives about 45 miles from here, but traffic is so bad it takes him two hours each direction, so instead of sitting in his car for an additional four hours a day, he chooses to stay in a hotel. There are others like him and a few still who are here because the damage in their home has not been repaired yet.

There has been an interesting common theme that I have noticed and I love these hotel people because they’re hustlers. Now, I’m not saying you have to be a big-time hustler to be someone who is motivated, but I am saying big time hustlers are motivated. We’ve met FEMA inspectors, National Guardsmen, Roofers, Electric line workers, Oil workers (Shoremen), Railroad workers, Adjusters, Automotive salesmen, and in every town we have met someone that does some kind of inventory/shelf facing type work for various companies where they work for a brand (ex – Home Depot) and travel to different stores. There’s a fair mix between people who are contractors and people who are employees, but they’re all hustlers.

Most of them work some type of job where their day may exceed 8 hours, their week may exceed 40 hours, and they may work 30-60 days with no days off in between except rain days (depending on their field). Some have much shorter days, only work 4-6 hours, but travel and pack up often so their days are calculated differently.

But, then, most of them go home, back to their place and space and have several days off in a row to love on their family and create memories. They’re all a bit tired, but as they talk about their tired, they talk about those fat checks too and why it’s all worth it. Most of the people we meet who travel make six figure incomes because companies know that time is expensive – you’re paying someone for time away from their home and family, and it costs, and companies are willing to pay. (And most of those people do not live a six figure income lifestyle – they save most of that money because life on the road has taught them how minimally you can live and how few “things” you actually need.)

Lately, I have met several men who have been traveling for 10/20 years and it’s been a beating – BUT, they’re about to retire. They either own a home, or have enough cash to buy a home and they have enough income to retire. They’re very proud of their hard work and many of them additionally talk about their children. They are so proud to share how their sacrifices away from home afforded college, or knowledge, or the ability to help them with a loan for homes or automobiles. They’re really proud of their kids successes that have come at early ages than they enjoyed and at knowing their children will start their journeys with a good foundation that they helped provide. They talk of missed ballgames too and not enough dinners at home, but however they talk, they love their families. Many of them have been doing this since they were in their 20s. Many of them have shared that they invested in real estate as they traveled and learned more about each economy they were working in. They learned where you could get a great deal and made some nice profits to add more to their retirement funds. They hustled and saved, and now they’re ready for the payoff of their hard work. They’re giving up more today, for a better tomorrow in the future.

But there is a cost. Many of them carry more pounds than they’d like as a side effect of hotel living and eating on the road. Three weeks in a hotel with only a microwave has not been friendly to my stomach or my weight, and three weeks is nothing compared to some of these stays. Everyone’s back hurts from sleeping on lumpy mattresses that have seen multitudes of travelers. Hours on the road or on planes means a host of other random physical issues among everyone. Occasionally, the cost is higher. A loved one is lost and maybe you can’t get home in time, or at all. Not all marriages can stand up to the long stretches of time without your partner, and some children become resentful. In all things, there has to be balance. Plus, location, location, location – is totally out of your control. You can’t always guarantee you’ll be in a nice hotel, in a safe area. And one of us learned today how much it sucks when the hotel dryer shrinks your favorite joggers.

The husband and I have been debating what our next year looks like. Each time our rental lease is up, it gives us a new opportunity to assess where we are and where we want to be. Now that we have no school children at home, we’re in a new phase that offers us much more flexibility. When we have grandbabies, Gigi here plans on staying close to home so my grandbabies will always have a loved one available for them for whatever reason. But right now, there are so many opportunities before us. I don’t know where the road will take us, but I do know, I am really enjoying the view – not just through my own eyes, but through all the stories of everyone we meet. I learn something new about humanity every single day. I fall in love with the world a bit more every single day. I learn patience and kindness a little more every single day. Every single day is a choice and an opportunity to grow. You can absolutely bloom where you’re planted, but you can also blossom wherever the wind takes you. Bloom or blossom – whatever works for you 😊