Hi everyone .  I thought I'd share some news with the forum, seeing as I've been an active participant for so many years (until this summer).  I've decided to "retire" from being a sales rep , a job I've done  for the better part of 25 years .  I started out in fashion, then moved to book publishing, and ended up in the giftware industry. Most of the time I was self-employed and paid a commission .  It was , admittedly, a stressful, exciting, fun, horrible, practical, ridiculous way to earn a living, and sometimes I wonder how I ended up there.  I made lots of money and I also made very little money. Depended on the year, the economy, the product being offered, and my energy level.   The past 6 months have wreaked untold devastation on retail, and there is no way to recoup the 10's of thousands of dollars  (and hence commissions ) of cancelled orders due to the pandemic. Since June I've been working 7 days a week between 2 jobs and have been stressed out, tired beyond belief and not happy.  Poignantly  , the recent death of Dale Hawerchuck at age 57 was the straw the broke the camel's back - if you know hockey ,you know Dale . A little younger than me, dying of cancer in the prime of his life. ...  I decided I couldn't continue on the path I was on, trying to earn as much as I could and trying to keep all the balls in the air, so to speak. I wasn't enjoying my life at all, and feared waking up one morning at 65 being unhealthy , out of shape and not having any kind of fulfilling personal life.  The plan had been to evaluate all of this at the end of the year, but I hit the wall a couple of weeks ago and enough was enough. My husband and I crunched a few numbers and decided I could step away from sales and work as much as I wanted to at my second job at the Reh-Fit Centre (a medical fitness facility here in Winnipeg) .  I enjoy  this job, know I'm making a difference in someone's life, and I can lock the door of the building at night and not take the day home with me.  

I'm thrilled and excited to put sales behind me and  I cannot wait until I can purge my house of all my samples, catalogues, and other work detritus.  I'm looking forward to living a simpler, less busy life, and also looking forward to not having to keep a professional work wardrobe up to date.  I have great plans, and hope I can make them happen !  I can really indulge my love of athletic gear, and I hope to hone a great casual style that will take me everywhere.  Rather than spending money on much for fall, I'm going to take the time to see how what I have can adapt to my new lifestyle.  I do expect to have to purchase some good walking boots for winter, and a perhaps some hiking-type shell pants .  I'm interested in developing a better at-home style too , which is something I struggle with EVERY SINGLE WINTER. Perhaps the Barefoot cardigan Suz bought would be a good piece to start with:) 
Thank you for reading, if you did - I look forward to having more time back on YLF !