And the definition of “hard times,” like the aforementioned cup of coffee, depends on where you’re sitting (or, more accurately, what you’re sitting under – a roof with food in the fridge, or a cardboard box eating out of a dumpster, for example).

The reason people can’t believe that you are quitting a job you don’t like, is because they are scared. Too scared to give up the comfort of a “good job.” I know. I gave up a good job to start my own thing. Almost everyone I know said I was crazy. How could I give up paid vacations and a guaranteed income. I didn’t know how to tell them that the mere thought of one more school year in the classroom made me want to run away screaming. The real kick in the pants is, what I do now isn’t that much different, but it is on my own time and my own repsonsiblity.
I’m lucky I have what I need. I could probably go and get a “real” job and make more. I asked my husband once if he ever wondered what our lives would be like if I made more. He said he used to wish that I had a corporate high paying job, but even with the salary boost he’d still wish we made just a bit more because we would spend a bit more. So for now, we will be satisfied with our medium paying jobs, and our medium house, and enjoy an amazing life since we don’t both work 50 hours a week.