The Ant and the Grasshopper

Once upon a time there was an Ant and a Grasshopper and one summer day whilst the Ant was busy collecting food he saw a Grasshopper just lazing about singing.

“Get some work done you lazy Grasshopper, look at me I’m slaving away breaking my back trying to store enough food to last me and my family through winter. Why aren’t you doing the same?”

“Don't worry.” replied the Grasshopper to the Ant.
“My family and I are on benefits, all our food, rent and heating bills are paid by the government.”

I’m sure you all know the real story and the moral behind it as I am too it’s just that lately I am starting to feel a bit like the Grasshopper did in winter. Should we really have given up our careers and our Sydney lifestyle six years ago to go bush?
Surely that type of nomadic lifestyle is for later on in life when you have grey hair, dodgy hips and a Winnebago?

Well as far as I am concerned nowhere is it etched in stone that you have to work til aged 65? You are only on this planet once, unless you really do believe in reincarnation and actually were a chambermaid to Queen Elizabeth back in 1558.

The way I see it you have to be a bit adventurous in life and take any opportunity that comes along. Maybe that’s why I migrated to Australia, then aged 30 even though I had a nice home, a steady job and a new company car every three years.
When I left school in 1977 I knew then that whatever career path I chose I would never stay in one place long enough to earn a gold watch just before being put out to pasture.

Unlike the Grasshopper when we did escape the rat race for a life in the Australian Outback we didn’t sit around doing nothing. We had jobs, the English nurse still had her career, and in fact she got a promotion to Director of Nursing. It’s just that unfortunately my professal career in Television really did career! Career downhill tothat of cleaning the coal crusher at the local open cut mine. It wasn’t all bad though; the job did have a few perks as any coal dust I swallowed I was allowed to keep.
Thankfully something else did come along eventually and hopefully in time too!

We stayed in outback South Australia for three years before returning to our home on the South Coast of NSW. It didn’t feel quite though, wanderlust was still in our veins so after a few months we upped and went off again up towards the Cape where for the last three years we worked in a small remote town in Far North Queensland. The English Nurse became a Remote Area Nurse; she was given a 4WD and covered an area of 75,000 square miles. She also worked alongside the iconic Royal Flying Doctor Service, now that’s something.

That was then, this is now. Five weeks ago we returned to live in our home in NSW. This time it feels right, it feels right that we should stay.

As I look for a job, and try to start again doubts set in and I’m back to the Ant and the Grasshopper syndrome again.
I don’t think for one minute that the six years we spent away were wasted. We experienced many wonderful things and met all kinds of characters. Some were pleasant, helpful, kind and honest, some eccentric, some completely mad, some were both eccentric and mad. Some were downright rude and complete total bastards. Put them all altogether and you have the Australian Outback.

If the worse comes to the worse I now know that we can always sell the house and go live in a nice tin shed; and join the others who are doing exactly that in a small town in Far North Queensland. For just over $3000 you can buy a block of land and a shed that's close to a really nice pub.
If I need a bit of pocket money then I can always dig up a bit of Topaz.

Sigh, now it’s time to stop writing, stop dreaming and find a job. There is a mortgage still to be paid and keeping Banjo in the lifestyle that he has got accustomed to isn’t cheap either. The English nurse can’t do it all by herself that I do know, but do I really have to dust off my CV again and go groveling?
I have heard that there are people making loads of money just by blogging, can it really be done?

Well to find out may I suggest that you read my blog posts under the category "Make money online"