Journal

There I was, twenty-five years old and living the life everyone expected me to be living. I had a job with benefits, a house, two cars, a wife and a dog. Living the American dream of many, including myself at the time. But why did I feel so empty inside? So unfulfilled? Not to say that living this way is wrong, it’s a fantastic way to live and very fulfilling for many people. I was just learning that I was not one of those people. I wanted something more, something different, something mobile. I knew there was a lot to see in the world and I couldn’t find a valid reason not to see it. I knew it was the beginning of a major life change for myself, one so drastic that my marriage was unable to sustain it. But I knew I had to be honest with myself and seek another life, even if I had no idea what that was at the time.

Then CoolWorks came into my life just as certain books seem to find us at opportune times. My stepbrother had mentioned this site that was full of “cool” jobs throughout the country consisting of mostly seasonal positions in beautiful places. It sounded perfect to me so I looked into it. I was hooked! It was refreshing and exciting to know that there was a life out there that I had been dreaming of but wasn’t really sure it existed. I started to apply to different places. For me, I was attracted to more places that were not corporately owned as I was looking for a more family-run, smaller operation. Coming from the east coast, I really wanted to head out west and find something completely different from the way I was raised. How does a ranch in sunny, southern Arizona sound? Different and fantastic! It was one of only three places I had applied to and luckily enough got a call back from. Two weeks later I was hired.

“Great!”, I thought. This is just the change I need, I will do this for a few years or so, get fulfilled and then back to a so-called normal life. Well, going on eighteen years later I am still at it. I was very lucky to hit a home run on my very first try with CoolWorks in finding what turned out to be the perfect home base for me for the fall/winter as I explored the world during the summers. I have since tried to go back to the “real world” a few times here and there, only to last a year or less. Most of the time was spent dreaming about the life I had just left before looking at CoolWorks and dreaming of all the possibilities it has to offer.

I have since also worked a few summer positions to compliment my steady “home base” fall/winter Ranch Job in Arizona. I have worked in Alaska twice, once at a fishing lodge near Ketchikan and the other at an Eco/Adventure lodge near Homer, Alaska. I have worked on another ranch near Livingston, Montana. But mostly it has been the good old rancho in southern Arizona that I have called home. I started out as the kitchen assistant and have now been a hiking guide/groundskeeper for the last several years. I get to share these amazing places with people (much like myself before I started all of this) that don’t get to live in such an amazing place. I have since seen every state in this beautiful country as well as traveled to many others. I have found this life to be a very fulfilling existence that I would not trade for anything else.  Whether you are looking for a temporary life change or a major one, let CoolWorks help launch you towards a life you’ve only dreamed of!