So I've been doing a lot of thinking.  I am really looking forward to getting married and moving to the Kansas plains with my honey. I know some people think farming isn't where it's at, as the work is hard, and the income is perceived to be very little.  I hear some people saying that it's hard to get a break time-wise for vacations and things, and that it's also a dangerous profession.  I hear that the hours are long.  Some people say it's better to have a regular job and collect a regular paycheck.

Let me tell you my perspective.  I am a woman who's never been married. I turn 45 later this month.  I love animals, and I love gardening.  I have a single-family house.  All of that is a lot to take care of for one person, and I refuse to put my job in a place where I permanently sacrifice the quality of my personal life--seems to me to defeat the purpose of having a job in the first place.

I got a new job in May, for which I am grateful.  It is EXTREMELY demanding, with a very steep learning curve that we are expected to master in short order.  My boss is married with 3 little kids, and she pulls 1 or 2 all-nighters per week on work stuff.  I see emails from her routinely at all hours--midnight, 1 AM, 2 AM, 3 AM, 4 AM, 5 AM...seems that she does not sleep.  I have worked a lot more hours than in other jobs just to try to get up to speed, and admittedly I've been up late extremely early sending these emails.  It is considered good to be seen sending emails at all hours--supposedly it shows that you are a dedicated, hard worker.  A colleague concluded that even if you spent 15 hours a day on this job, you could only then BEGIN to do it justice.  That is no joke--his description is accurate. 

I now feel that my life is out of balance--too much time spent on work, and not enough personal time.  It's been hard to cook healthy meals, exercise, and keep up maintence on the house.  So I ask you, what's the difference between this and farming when it comes to quality of life?  When compared this way, I see a FAR better quality of life on the farm.  Once ago it might have made sense to take a regular paycheck from a regular job...but these days, corporate jobs are ridiculously demanding, and also fleeting--the axe falls and there you are without a job, again, and your income dips while you're looking for something new.  People are expected to do 2 or 3 people's work now and I just don't see that changing anytime soon.  You never know when the rug will get pulled out from under you, again.

I seriously think it would make me much happier if I did have to work to take a clerk's job at the USDA or Conservation District or something. (which I might do--KSBoy and I have been talking about that) At least I could come and go at regular hours and have a life, and have time to nuture a marriage.  Something to think about as you are rearing your children.  It is a different world in the corporate arena these days.

They say that the pursuit of happiness levels off around middle class.  They say that any more money than that does not significantly contribute to a person's happiness. I would agree with this. 

Do you all think I'm on the right track with my thinking?