[innercityteacher]

Thanks for being here, Patrick. I appreciate your posts and read every one. You add a lot of wood to the fire, and that keeps us all hopping.

Years ago in my past financial life, I wrote a piece on happiness in our Client Letter. This was in the giddy days before the market break in 2000, and I wanted to offer perspective.

For several years I also wrote an end-of-day market commentary that I would email to clients and friends in the investment management and brokerage industry. These were the early days of the Internet, and you can't believe how naive I was (especially as to how all this stuff gets passed around). Anyway . . .

Turns out I had a rather large following, especially guys in the retail wirehouse trenches such as Merrill, Morgan Stanley, and Robinson Humphrey (a southeast regional now gone). How did I find out? At first, in dribbles and drabs, mostly brokers telephoning and emailing me from home telling me how the office was reading me at work! Mostly, though, I learned when I stopped writing. Then, the floodgate opened.

I'll look in my storage bins next time I'm back in Atlanta for the 'Happiness' piece. It was a personal favorite of mine and worth reprinting here. Stay tuned!

That market correction ended my career at AMEX Lynn, as a single-income guy. I was working 70 hours a week back then with two secretaries who netted about what I did until the crash.

I went into teaching. I am happier, with a steadier income, appreciated every day, and about to start shooting par on purpose!

Japan needs our happiness! Many do!

ICT