# Location, location, location



## cafedoc123 (Mar 7, 2012)

let me see if I can keep this short.

I am a recovering alcoholic, 7.5 years sober, doing well. I'm in my early 50's, and married to an incredible woman who is 20 years younger (yes, I am incredibly grateful, every single day). I have an older daughter who lives in NYC; my wife and I have a daughter of our own (3 1/2) as well as her 2 daughters, ages 8 and 12, who I consider as my own.

I am a health care provider. I originally practiced in the New Orleans area (where I am from) for over 20 years, before my alcohol and personal problems got out of control. I feel like I have made an incredible turnaround, and have got my life back on a really good track. I actually met my wife when I was early in sobriety. Anyways, after completing some fairly extensive inpatient treatment, I was able to find a job in my profession in a rural corner of the state about 5 years ago. I am grateful that the local hospital here gave me a second chance. It's a great job--not very stressful, very little on-call duties, probably perfect for me in my sobriety and at this stage of my career. The staff and administrators and patients are always singing my praises.

The problem is our location. It's a small, rural, farming community, very poor, absolutely nothing here that interests us. There is a small city 20 minutes down the road, but not exactly the mecca of things to do. My wife is an artist and a life coach, which are not exactly in high demand here, and we both miss New Orleans. Last year she was able to open a gallery in the French Quarter which has helped her art sales tremondously. It also gives us an "outlet" to make the trip down to the big city.

My wife is very unhappy here. She feels stifled by the small town atmosphere. She misses the cultural diversity of New Orleans. The gallery is great, but its a 4 hour drive from our current location. Not bad, but tiring nonetheless.

I have tried for nearly 3 years to find a job in the New Orleans area, to no avail. I am a bit older than most candidates applying for positions, and I'm sure my past history (despite my fairly established sobriety) isn't working in my favor. I feel like I am trying to make accomodations for my wife to make it better for her here; for example, we added a decent size studio to the house for her to paint in about 4 years ago. We try and go down to the city as often as possible; I also encourage her to go on her own. 

For some reason, this issue seems to cause a significant amount of tension between us. I would move to New Orleans in a heartbeat, but without a significant source of income, it would be a disaster. I admit that I am more confortable than she is in our small town, but that doesn't mean I don't miss the big city.

Hoping someone can offer some insight.


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## Corpuswife (Apr 24, 2009)

Sounds like you need to find a job in New Orleans......

Good luck on your hunt!!


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