For me, being in the zone-controlled HVAC at the corporate offices felt a lot like crossing the finish line.
Before moving to a place with almost flawless commercial HVAC, I spent nearly 15 years working for the same company. Because of this, I had no desire to leave. In fact, over the course of my employment with the company, I moved so frequently that I was prepared to establish a home. The fact that I would eventually be able to buy a house and put an end to my moving was also sort of understood. When I bought my home and made other renovations as well as replacing the HVAC system, that is how I went about it. I had the opportunity to meet my future wife because she was a local before the house was even finished. Everything seemed to be going according to schedule. With the most high-end heating and air conditioning money could buy, I would have a lovely place to call home. While traveling for the company, it sure beats living in all those apartments and condos. However, things changed after the pandemic. During the initial 18 months of the pandemic, the company unquestionably took a beating. For the majority of that time, we were all working from home with our own air conditioning. When we returned to the office, I was immediately summoned before the senior managers. They wanted me to relocate up north to save a failing regional office. It was more of a demand than a request. But man, it was so difficult for me to convince my wife that her future would include a gas furnace.