The dishwasher

Once upon at time I met a dishwasher.

I was in a bar in Old Colorado City one night, and a friend of a friend's new husband asked me what I did.  I said I was an Account Executive for VoiceSteam Wireless, which I thought sounded really important because it had the word "executive" in the title.  He asked me if I liked it.  The question surprised me, so I said something quick like, I guess it's okay -- why, what do you do?  I'm a dishwasher, he replied.  I asked if he liked it.  He said that he loved it.

He used to work 70 hours a week in tech with more money than he knew what to do with.  One day, his boss called him into his office and offered him more money for more of his time.  He was valued by the company, stressed out, and never saw the people that he loved so, instead of taking the offer, he quit his job and took a job as a dishwasher.  As a dishwasher he would go to work, get paid enough to survive (granted this was in Colorado Springs a million years ago), and then go home and spend time with the people that he loved.  And, he was so happy. :)

Not long after I met the dishwasher, I quit my job, packed up my bags and my inspiration, and moved to the Bay Area.