It sounds like we had very similar childhoods! I worked a lot too. I did lawn work and snow removal around the same age as you and then took on a paper route when I turned 14. The paper route was some of the hardest work I ever did, especially collecting the subscription fees at the end of the month. Lord, that taught you a lot about human nature. I had people who would hide from me when I came to the door, and some lonely elderly people who didn't want to let me leave.

Mingling with the upper classes can be as intoxicating as it is eye-opening. I never imagined there were that many people living with such incredible privilege. There were lots in NYC. It was like I was in some foreign world. They're insulated from the bad and uncomfortable aspects of life in many ways but they could seem very isolated, bored, emotionally cold, and lonely, really. It was fun to experience but I would never want to live that way. I prefer to be somewhere in the middle. Comfortable, but not as separated from everyone else, closer to my roots.

I'm trying to sleep in! When I worked I got up around 5:15am, always preferred the earlier shift so I had some of my day left. This morning I rolled out around 7:45am, so it's getting better. Lol.