Have you heard the expression: Working in Florida is like living in a tropical depression? When I read the following report, Florida ranks among most stressed out states in U.S., that expression came to mind. I was also glad I didn’t live in New Jersey.
I’ve lived in Florida all of my life and I truly identified with the article. Over a period of over 50-years, I’ve seen the good, bad, and the ugly of living in Florida. There were times when I climbed coconut palms in Key West. At times, during hurricanes, we really did have only the water in the bathtub for drinking and we cooked over Sterno and candles.
For a time, I worked outdoors. Getting paid a mere pittance didn’t bother me when I lead campers on hikes through the Ocala scrub or on swamp hikes. Working in the woods, I met the love of my life, hired her, and then married her (another great story altogether). Conducting people on tours of the Florida outdoors was like a dream come true. I even got to work with manatees, those gentle marine boat magnets. But then the ugly reality of making a gainful living in Florida got a hold of me.
With a growing family, I had to make changes. Florida simply didn’t have many high-paying jobs for someone with a bachelors degree in science. Unless you worked in some industry that needed those skills or wanted to live in Tallahassee the only other places with high wages were the big cities. Do you know how many big cities Florida has? You can count them with the fingers of both hands. They’re scattered to all the far corners of the state and the center. Since I was already in the center (Orlando), I decided to grow where I was planted, so to speak.
I taught school for 6-years. That in itself was plenty of stress so I eventually left it. At one time I was a cubicle rat with a salaried job and benefits that included working on weekends and holidays at times. Did that generate any stress on the home-front? Yeah, there were a couple of memorable occasions when family vacations and flight tickets had to be cancelled to meet deadlines. Let’s not recall how that all went over at home.
The hamster wheel routine for me ended during the economic downturn in 2008. In early December, the company I’d been with for 21-years laid off me and several hundred employees. That was a little stressful. It became even more so when I found how eager employers weren’t to hire someone in their 60s. When you add the joy of trying to find healthcare in those years the stress level climbs a few more notches. It was really fun trying to find work for the next 4-5 years.
Well, Native American, Black Elk once said that the ‘energy of world goes in circles’. He must have known something. I eventually returned to what folks now call ‘Eco-based’ work and tourism for my livelihood. Instead of commuting along with thousands of other lemmings to and from home to the city to work, I now conduct historic tours. Like guides over 100-years-ago, I’m taking people on tours of things that make Florida unique. We don’t make much but boy is the living more stress-free. More times than not I’m actually kicking back, enjoying the beautiful Florida scenery, and having that 5 o’clock libation.
Larry French is an historian and Volusia County resident. His has lived in Deltona for over 40-years and served on its volunteer Parks & Recreation Advisory Board. He is the former executive director of the West Volusia Historical Society, is now retired and currently assists his wife Robin in their touring business, Great Tasting Tours in downtown DeLand.
Life Outside The Window 