In the end there are very few measures for a life well lived.  How much joy did you have and how much did you spread?  Living to work isn't what it's about.  To that end Karen and I decided we'd form our own business, or, more accurately, I'd join her training business.  So now I'm a qualified Emergency First Aid at Work trainer, Karen is continuing as a Manual Handling Trainer and I get to spend the larget part of my time at home with my son enjoying him growing up.  If I work five days in a month I earn more than I did working everyday in any of my previous jobs.  One of us is working most days, often Karen, but we're both enjoying life and family much more.

When I was younger I had two dreams, one was to be an animator and the other was to be a cartoonist, for various reasons neither really worked out.  I worked a variety of dead end and not so dead end jobs, drew when I could and found the drawing was all that made work bearable in most cases.  Then I got married and had our first child.  Work became more important to provide for family and I missed much of my daughter growing up.  I've learnt to fit drawing in around family and draw more now than I ever did.  Changing our lives to enjoy them more has made that possible.  It's made so many things possible. 

Work to live, as much as you need and no more.  THEN GO OUT AND ENJOY LIFE.