From Commodities to
Art Gallery B. Thompson, Florida
My story started with a trip to the ER.
I was a commodities trader in Chicago and like everyone
else I knew, I worked too hard and too long, and rarely
took a break. My kids (from both my first and second
marriages) had grown and were off to college, and since
I had made plenty of money over the years, this was
supposed to be an easier time for me and my wife. But
one day, I had the big pain in the chest, and was rushed
off to the hospital.
Turns out, it wasn’t
a heart attack, but I did have some arterial problems.
The doctors did their magic and I changed my diet and
started to slow down some. When I did start to take
some time, I realized that I wasn’t enjoying my life and
wondered why I was still working so hard. We had plenty
of money, our health was pretty good, the kids were
doing well, and I didn’t need to push so hard anymore.
My wife and I took a
trip to [a Florida resort town] and I was overwhelmed
with the feeling that I needed to make a change. I
loved art and I remembered an old dream of running an
art gallery. When we came home, I thought about it
often, but I couldn’t let go of the feeling that I had
to work. That I was the workaholic type.
I struggled with the
feeling that I couldn’t possibly stop being the
hard-charging trader for over two years, including two
more trips to [the resort town]. My wife tried hard to
get me to really consider it, but I was stuck. During
the third trip to [the town], I met a man who ran a
restaurant there and we talked for several hours. He
had lived in [the town] for many years, but had been a
powerful executive in California before making the move.
Somehow, having that
man tell me his story gave me the push I needed, and I
started making plans to move there and open my own
gallery. Even with all my business success, I was
terrified, but I found people along the way to help me
figure out how to get things rolling.
To make a long story
short, I’ve lived here in [the resort town] for six
years now and my gallery is doing fine. But for me, as
long as it pays the bills, the business part isn’t
important to me. I love having the art around me and
talking to the customers as they come in. My hours are
relaxed, and my wife and I have made terrific new
friends here. Now that I have made the leap, and went
after my dream, I am happier than I could have pictured
myself.
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