RS: Not yet.

JH: At that time I was in my thirties, and now, into my early forties…you know, most people our age who work in the arts don’t expect to be grown-ups, financially, speaking. Do you know what I mean?

RS: Yeah, to make a living doing what you actually like. I work in restaurants, which I do actually like, but I’m also a musician, and I’m still not making an adult living yet.

JH: Yeah. And I think a lot of people who are our age who aren’t even working in the arts are having to adapt to what people working in the arts have had to adapt to for a long time — they’re not going to make a great living, because the jobs aren’t there. And all those people who went to law school are moving back home. They’re learning what people like us, who want to write short stories, or play music or whatever, sort of figured from the beginning. So in a very public way, my career went in a completely unexpected and delightful direction. But in a much more private way, the harder thing to deal with was the fact that I was not going to have to struggle financially. I have children and a wife, and, you know, it was a remarkable, huge load off my mind. And it made me appreciate all of that time spent in therapy, and all of that time spent not in therapy and just feeling anxious. The cure is money.

RS: Yeah.

JH: I mean, it’s sad. But this is a secret that people don’t like to admit to, it’s that money can buy you happiness.

RS: To a point, yes.