I will take it to a whole new level gneiss! I am pretty sure one of the main reasons I was able to stay sober and start my life going in this new direction was because of my manual labor, menial job. I am so freaking tired when I get home, I cant worry about booze. I am in better shape than I have been since I was a kid. The people I work with like me, which is helping restore my faith in me. AND, I am moving towards becoming financial independent, at which point, my options and opportunities become much more grand!
So here's to the happy ditch diggers, lawn mowers and grease monkeys, may we live long and prosper HAZAA!
post script: I believe teaching was the most hellacious, stressful, emotionally crippling time in my life. The kids were fabulous, the system is nothing short of a mind f*ck