Price of freedom

[bearcove]

I have the most free of all professions, linemen and sparkys and others might share it. I'm a pipe welder going 350 miles to take a weld test. If I pass its golden, big pay with bennies. And I love it!

But I am away from home and its amazing how the kids grow while your gone.

But I am free to come and go as "I" please.

If I fail its on me for expenses, and I've ate it a few times, but that is the risk and that is the price I will pay to be a free man.

Most people can't be away from their TV or computer for more than 12 hours, or their debt service job.

How free are you!

[sparky45]

Pretty free; I'm retired. However, I understand exactly what you're saying.

[CASTER OF LEAD]

I have the most free of all professions, linemen and sparkys and others might share it. I'm a pipe welder going 350 miles to take a weld test. If I pass its golden, big pay with bennies. And I love it!

But I am away from home and its amazing how the kids grow while your gone.
But I am free to come and go as "I" please.

If I fail its on me for expenses, and I've ate it a few times, but that is the risk and that is the price I will pay to be a free man.

Most people can't be away from their TV or computer for more than 12 hours, or their debt service job.

How free are you!
I work on an inland towboat Bearcove, I am on a 28/14 day rotation. The 28 on the boat are sometimes rough,but the 14 at home make up for it. Freedom(from work) is at a premium with only 14 days off. However i make the best of it and have learned in the last 5 years to manage as much time as i can. The worst is, that in my line of work you do miss alot of important things in life. Weddings,graduations, funerals, birthdays, etc..! My Job is a means to my retirement. Without it i could not put away enough resources to retire when it is time. Mena, AR. here BTW. Hello Neighbor.

[Hickory]

My health and the medicine I take limits my freedom.
Other then that, I'm free​ to do as I want.

[OS OK]

I'm a retired Electrical Contractor who specialized in heavy industrial power distribution and machine control. My work took me all across the U.S. and I've lived out of hotels and such for many a month year after year. I did this for 25+ years.
The important part besides making good money to support the family is to spend high quality time with them when you are home. After a couple days rest from traveling I'd always do something with the family that was extra special to the kids and wife.

My wife and I feel that if you are going to work hard and have to spend time away from home that it is just as important to play hard to balance your life too.
She and I both grew up in rather humble surroundings and have always vowed to give our kids the opportunities as children that she and I couldn't do. She and I both lived our youth again vicariously through our kids as they grew up having opportunity to do so many varied things. We have truly been blessed.
None of this makes up for the inches they grow while you are away but it does come close.
All that freedom you enjoy at first only ends up in solitary longing to be with your loved ones in the end...but...that freedom is also important in certain mens lives, kinda like an addiction you have to feed.
It will all balance out in the end, before you know it you will be an old fart with grandkids to dote on.

Freedom ain't free.

[dtknowles]

I have been free some times in my life but many times I have wrapped myself in chains of willing obligation. When my kids were grown, my wife died and I got laid off from work. For a couple years I was a free spirit, traveled the country. No place I had to be and nothing I had to do. I am again obligated, I told a friend I would help with his new business, I got remarried and now have another stepdaughter still at home and in school. At least I got to choose which freedoms I gave up.

Tim

[blackthorn]

I spent the first 21 years in the plywoodmanufacturing industry, working all the hours I could get. We had fairly goodnegotiated working conditions, including a pension plan, but I was certainlynot “free”. Then the next 9 years were spent working about half-time while theidiots running the company finished constructively running it off the rails.Then 3 years at really sporadic work while they completed the destruction,during which time (12 years) I got to develop and run a volunteer center, setup to assist unemployed/under-employed people with any and all problems they might runinto. I was the only paid employee. The center (by default) also set up and rana food bank. The thing about this job was that I got to write my own jobdescription, subject only to the guidelines set by the BC Federation of Labour,who was my “employer”. In 1989 I applied for a job as a labor representative onan administrative tribunal, hearing and making decisions with respect todisputes brought by Employers or Workers with decisions of our Worker’s CompensationBoard (Workers Compensation Appeal Tribunal, i.e. WCAT). This work entailedtraveling throughout BC, holding hearings about 1 week out of 3. Eventually, Iapplied for, and won, a position as a vice-chair in that work. I retired fromthat work after 13 years. I then contracted back to the WCAT doing “Read andReview” decisions for 2 years to help them clear a backlog of cases. The workwith WCAT was salaried (per year) and the expectation was that you worked 35hours per week. The reality was that to get the work done I never worked lessthan a 55 hour week, although there was some leeway if your work was up to dateand complete. I retired after my fourth try in 2006. Currently I will advisesomeone on an appeal just to help them and to sort of keep my mind active.

[WILCO]

Some folks choose chains for family stability. The end product is what counts.
I tip my hat to those who sacrifice.

[snowwolfe]

What day of the week is it? Today the wife and I drank coffee, exercised, then sighted in our new crossbow so we can use it for deer hunting.

[SteveS]

"Free" is a very subjective term. We're all free in some regards and restricted in others.

At 64yo I'm the most free I've ever been.

[bearcove]

The one thing that helped was being a union member. Every job I go to pays back to my insurance and pension. Bash it all you want but show me a way to do that before you do!

Oh, and I get higher pay. Cause I can do what I do.

I'm frugal and wear out my clothes don't go out to eat much...

Paid for my last house in 3 years.

Yep I'm a road *****.

[bearcove]

As far as freedom, I can on any day tell my boss to go get my money! And the next time he calls for a combo welder he will be happy to see me. Its not personal like some work is.

I show up on time every day till they don't need me. Who decides when that is varies job to job.

Yes it has its costs but I have not done a resume or applied for a job in 20 years

[GhostHawk]

Another retired with health issues but still pretty free if I am willing to pay the cost.

[bearcove]

some folks choose chains for family stability. The end product is what counts.
I tip my hat to those who sacrifice.

bull++++

[bearcove]

A wage slave is a wage slave.
def.
"a fixed regular payment, typically paid on a daily or weekly basis, made by an employer to an employee, especially to a manual or unskilled worker."

Learn a valuable skill and it will let you be a free man

[bearcove]

I am a carpenter, stone mason, sawyer, fisherman, mechanic, boat builder those are the things I'd say I was good at, there are others I've made a wage at.

But, I'm a pipefitter/pipe welder when I want to make money.

Encourage your kids or grandkids to learn a skilled trade, we build America not some office puke.

[deep creek]

been a member of plumbers and pipe fitters local 648 for 46 years,so was my dad.i have two sons that are to. both damn good pipe fitter welders.and we've done our share of traveling.i retired in 2007 and am loveing it.you can't beat having a skilled craft and the money is good.

[jcwit]

I'd say I am pretty free! Retired at 58, never was a"wage slave", lived my life as I saw fit. Retired with full pension and full health care. Own my own house, vehicles all paid for, last time I had a car payment was back in 1972. Paid the new Corvette off in the first month!

My concern now is with my health, age catching up with me at 73!

Never worked in or for a union, always worked in upper management or owned my own business! Always thought it was easier to use my brain than my brawn.

[jcwit]

Encourage your kids or grandkids to learn a skilled trade, we build America not some office puke.

Without your so called "office puke" managing, designing, engineering, and simply having the dream, you sir have no jop to put your skills to work!

[varmintpopper]

When I was young I decided I wanted to be a doctor, so I took the entrance exam to go to Medical School .
One of the questions asked was to rearrange the letters *PNEIS* into the name of an important human body part which is most useful when erect.
Those who answered spine are doctors today.
The rest of us are sending jokes via Forums

Good Shooting

Lindy

[OS OK]

Just tried this on my wife...she said 'spine'...but she is a Nurse.

[bearcove]

I'm a retired Electrical Contractor who specialized in heavy industrial power distribution and machine control. My work took me all across the U.S. and I've lived out of hotels and such for many a month year after year. I did this for 25+ years.
The important part besides making good money to support the family is to spend high quality time with them when you are home. After a couple days rest from traveling I'd always do something with the family that was extra special to the kids and wife.

My wife and I feel that if you are going to work hard and have to spend time away from home that it is just as important to play hard to balance your life too.
She and I both grew up in rather humble surroundings and have always vowed to give our kids the opportunities as children that she and I couldn't do. She and I both lived our youth again vicariously through our kids as they grew up having opportunity to do so many varied things. We have truly been blessed.
None of this makes up for the inches they grow while you are away but it does come close.
All that freedom you enjoy at first only ends up in solitary longing to be with your loved ones in the end...but...that freedom is also important in certain mens lives, kinda like an addiction you have to feed.
It will all balance out in the end, before you know it you will be an old fart with grandkids to dote on.

Freedom ain't free.

No its not, but it is priceless
Rod

[Col4570]

Done some traveling for work in my time.I will be 80 on the 23rd of this month.At 21 I finished a 6 year apprenticeship as a Fitter then joined the Merchant Navy as an Engineer for 5 years.A lot of my traveling was East of Suez where we where paid extra for climate conditions.I worked for the BP Clyde Tanker Co,we where constantly on the move around the World.USA,Canada,Argentina,Africa,India,Pakistan,T urkey,Persian Gulf,New Zealand,Egypt,France,Italy,Algiers,Sweden,Greece,B ermuda.Came ashore got married,worked at Rolls Royce briefly,then some contracting work,then British Celanese for 10 years.I got the traveling Bug again and joined a company that sent me to,The USA,Canada,France,Spain,Italy,Sardinia.You might say this was all for the money but it gave me a life time of experiences and set me up for my retirement and part time Gunwork but that is another Saga that continues.

[fecmech]

One of the questions asked was to rearrange the letters *PNEIS* into the name of an important human body part which is most useful when erect.
Those who answered spine are doctors today.
Thank you, brightened my day considerably!

[rl69]

I'm a slave to the lord Jesus Christ and to him only he takes care of the things I need in this world so yes I'm free

[leeggen]

Being free is having a job that you love and enjoy, the big money is a benifit.
CD

[MaryB]

As a consumer electronics technician I often worked on commission with no set hours so I was pretty free to take a day or two off as long as I put the work through in the 3-4 days a week I was there. Made a decent living, spent a LOT of time fishing and hunting!

[AK Caster]

If you have to work I wouldn't consider yourself very "free". On a scale of 1 in 10 would consider the wife and I to be at the 9 level. We are both retired yet she is still 3 years away from adding social security to our monthly income.

[bearcove]

Well I can't retire, not old enough. 6 months a year to keep the wheels spinning. plenty of work. Year off to think about fishing and fishing and building boats to go fishing...

[OS OK]

Well I can't retire, not old enough. 6 months a year to keep the wheels spinning. plenty of work. Year off to think about fishing and fishing and building boats to go fishing...

I've been following this fella for some time now. You, actually being a boat builder, I know you'll see so much more detail in his work than the casual observer...when I first found his project I had to back up and spend 2 days catching up on every little detail...


SV Seeker (https://www.youtube.com/user/submarineboat)

[Glassman66]

I have been an autoglass tech/bodyman for 30+ years. I don't make the best money in the world, my wife is a teacher, and we made some dumb choices in handling our money when we were young. But we have good benefits and I don't think I have missed a single important event in my kids lives.

I could have worked 2 jobs and had more "things" but we don't need them.

My Dad worked very hard and missed a lot of our teenage years growing up but provided very well for my Mom. Dad died 6 days after his 66th birthday. Really didn't get to enjoy the things worked for. I now have my Dads things but would trade everything I own for more time with Dad. He was my best friend!



Randy