My brother visited today and we talked about a lot of things as we cleaned up the family home. I enjoy having discussions with him, because he sees things a lot differently from the rest of the family and from my friends. And even though he's my younger brother, he's always looking out for me, making sure I'm taking care of myself; things like that.
Today after we were talking about retirement savings (we're not that old, but we're both in our 30s), he said something that I hadn't really thought about. He said, that what I've done with my life is remarkable. My day job is in the video game industry and I'm a published writer. I'm earning enough to pay for my home and I'm building a nest egg for retirement. I have never taken a job that was just "a job."
Well, he actually said, "a real job," but what he meant is that I didn't do something ordinary like become an accountant, something that might draw a paycheck even if one's heart wasn't in it. (I'm sure there are accountants who love their jobs, but we know one in particular who is definitely doing it just for the paycheck.)
I've been fortunate enough to have always been paid doing something that other people find entertaining and exciting.
Since this is the only life I live, I don't normally think about it, because it's what I do. I work with games in the day, and I write stories in the free time around that. I live in my house, and I diligently kick money into my retirement savings because that's the lesson my dad taught me when I got my first job out of college.
So today might not be anywhere near Thanksgiving, but I'm feeling grateful.
