Love Your Work? Hate Your Work?

I moved into my renovated office in the winter of 1980/81, I believe. And what a difference the new office was, compared to the little windowless one that my associates and I had been in!

My artistic friend who helped me design the office did a wonderful job! It was a most pleasant place to work in - airy, cheery, and modern. Windows! New furniture! A pretty restroom to boot! And Air! (Central Heat and Air, at last.)
My associates and I were really proud of our new Home.

Nothing excited me like being in the Business of Real Estate. I always considered it as a Problem-solving business. I loved the challenge. When the job was well done, and knowing my clients were happy with their new home, it gave me a High.

For many years, I concentrated on working. 
I had no time for anything else. And I loved being in the business world, believe it or not. To me, it was exciting. I was still my own secretary, bookkeeper, and janitor. I watched over my expenses carefully.
Some weeks, I would be on the job for 60 or 70 hours each week. When you have a business, you are really On, 24/7.
I took no vacations. The only time that I was away from the office was when I took advanced courses in Real Estate. I became A Residential Specialist and a Certified Brokerage Specialist. 

While my career was taking off, my marriage suffered. Partly because I really concentrated on my work - neglecting everything else including my family. Partly because I was "running away' from facing the facts -  My husband's declining health; his depression; his cynical attitude toward life, me, and the world. 

Instead of facing my personal problems, I turned a blind eye toward them - hoping the problems would go away. And, of course, they did not.

S.C. spent a number of years fighting the government, he filed a suit for discrimination, injury to his health, and so on. For several years, he was consumed with his Fight and with his ill health. He did win eventually. 
I was glad for him, for his sake.
But till this day, I don't have a clear idea of what really happened? Did he hate his job that much?

He recovered his lost wages and retired on Disability. 
The day his back-pay came in, he proudly gave me a lump sum of money, he said that was paying me back for the years that I supported him. I did not expect the money. I had already told him that he had supported me for many years, it was totally all right for me to do that for him. He did not agree. 
From then on, he always paid the bills at home. I would buy the extras.
That was the Chinese or the macho in him.

I think It probably would have killed him if he had lost the suit.

Anyway, he took a long trip to HK and to China by himself (I would not take off for a long period from my work, nor would I spend the money at that time). 
He said that he wanted to make his last trip home. 
He was singing that song of "I will be dead soon."

Some friends asked him how long would he be gone. He told them that he did not know. After he was gone for about three weeks, one of the lab wives took me to lunch - she thought that S.C. had left me. She tactfully asked when S.C. was going to be home. I told her that I just received a letter from him and he was coming back the very next week - he had to take this trip to get it out of his system. 
"No, he was not going to be gone forever."
And, of course that was not his last trip back to HK or to China. We made a couple trips to HK and China in later years.

The girls all went to higher education and got their degrees in their respective fields. We had, at one time, all three of them at one university or another. We somehow managed.

In the meantime, I started buying rental properties, hoping that they would provide me with an income in my retirement. Well, it became true to a certain point. I accumulated a little Nest Egg when I sold them. 
S.C. did not want to have anything to do with my rentals. He said that since I was the one wanting to have the rentals, they were mine to take care of. 
Take care of them I did, with the help of my handyman, my plumber, my electrician, and some other expects in their fields.  
Managing rentals was part of my business those days. I managed properties for Banks and out-of-town owners. Sometimes, I acted as a Receiver for some Institutions (that is when a property was going into fore-closure). Commercial properties were much easier to take care of than residential properties. 
It gave me a steady income.

I eventually sold off all of my rentals except one which I turned into a studio, when I sold my business.

I did not retire from work until I was seventy-five.