Trading Places

[Ella Spell]

This is meant to be for fun, but it can also be serious.

There used to be a TV show where interested parties could "trade lives" for a few days by moving to the other person's house and taking on their responsibilities, so to speak.

If you're interested in playing, please list some of the good things and some of the more difficult things about your life.

If you see someone else's life that you'd be willing to swap for temporarily, let them know!


Here's my life:

Dual citizenship with UK.
I own a large house with a yard.
I have a senior cat, two young adult cats, and two kittens.
I also have a dog .
I'm really close to my older brother who lives about 7 minutes away.
I don't really have problems with my neighbours.
I'm home all day without having to work because I'm on Disability.
I'm a single parent.
Two of my adult kids are here, along with one of their SO's.
They don't have to exist in this swapping scenario though.
My other son is in Australia so maybe you could go visit him!
He'll be home in a month anyway.
I have thousands of books you can read, along with crafting supplies.
There are hundreds of DVDs and lots of gaming things (no idea what they're called).
Oh - Switch, PS5, and some others.
Full laundry facilities in my house.
Outdoor patio, gazebo, barbecue.
Minutes from the lake.
Great partner who is really caring. (I'm not sure he's up for being traded though ...)
There's a full music studio with multiple guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, drum kits, etc.
We have professional recording equipment too.

Drawbacks -
It's all very expensive. Be prepared for debt.
My mother needs a lot of care because she's ailing.
The pets will keep you running in circles.
You won't be able to speak much because of mutism.
You'll have Moderate ASD and CPTSD, and a couple of strokes to contend with.


Anyone want to trade or share their own?

I'm not sure I actually want to trade. In fact I likely wouldn't, but I thought this would be fun.

 

[Hylian]

I live in the PNW area of the United States.
I live with my aunt and cousin in a rented trailer that's in crappy condition. lmao
I work a 8-9 hour shift in a factory, 5 days a week, and mainly manage my department, including operating the machine we use and helping do very minor maintenance on it.
I have a rabbit and a cat.
I have no kids and no partners.
I am trying to prepare to go to technical school for industrial/engineering technology, so I spend a lot of my free time doing that. I also want to transfer to the maintenance department at work, so I spend some extra time preparing for the IST/MA test.
I don't have a license and am learning to drive.
I don't really have any friends or anyone to hangout with/bother me (depending on how you look at it lol).
I do babysit/hang out with my younger cousins on the weekend.
I also play video games and have some Nintendo consoles, and I have a laptop.

 

[Ella Spell]

I'll trade you for a couple of days if you'd like to come hang with my pets!

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I already know from being here on this forum for the past few years, nobody would want my life. Most would probably not last 12 hours, let alone 24, and very, very few would last a week. Up too early (04:30), work too long (12-18hrs/day, at least 4 days/week, sometimes more), high intensity (110-bed neonatal ICU + ground and air transport), highly stimulating (anything can happen at any moment and often does), high responsibility job where perfection and mastery is required because their precious little lives are literally at stake. Deal with anxious, scared, stressed-out, sleep-deprived parents. Then come home to a wife who is very much driven to responsibility and duty like me (she manages some 600 medically-brittle, pulmonary patients in an outpatient clinic). Relax for an hour. Go to bed. Get up early the next morning and repeat. In addition to your regularly scheduled hours, you may be doing lectures and labs at the university or hospital, or perhaps creating lectures and educational materials for your co-workers. If you have any time left, then you will have domestic duties around the house, gardening and home maintenance.

On the other hand, you will live in a nice home, drive nice vehicles, have money to spend now, and investments for the future. You will also have a beautiful, intelligent, well-adjusted wife and two successful engineers for sons that you are very proud of. You will be able to go on nice vacations once or twice a year.

 

[Ella Spell]

That sounds like my life during my career, except that I was also a single parent.

I'd try it for a day or two since I'm very interested in medicine. Assuming of course, your brains would be part of the package deal!

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Assuming of course, your brains would be part of the package deal!

Sure, we can go to Neuralink and download all that to you.

 

[Outdated]

I don't think I'd want to swap with anyone unless they lived in a remote area somewhere and I got to spend a week without the sounds of a city.

I live a pretty cruisey life. A nice little ground level one bedroom unit in a quiet area. I'm on a pension and government subsidised housing, not sure exactly how much rent I pay but it's somewhere around $75/week so I have plenty of play money left over to do what I want with.

No pets and no family to worry about. No commitments of any kind, officially retired and free. 50 metres from a bus stop, 100 metres from a train station, and an electric bike for going to the local shops, no car needed. 5 Km to the west is lovely beaches, 5 Km to the east is hills and forests. It's a nice place.

[Edit] I forgot to mention, 2 decent computers with big screens, one more focused just on gaming, the other more on programming and number crunching, and optic fibre internet.

 

[Rodafina]

I would trade places with anybody for 24 hours just to satisfy some curiosity. I don’t think I would want to sign up for anyone else’s life indefinitely because I have put every bit of brain power toward figuring out how to survive my own world, and I wouldn’t want to start all over again.

But here’s a glimpse of my life…

Fully grown adult, but live at home with aging parents, poised to be their caretaker as they age.

Personal space includes a room and a car, both fully equipped with everything Rodafina needs to be peaceful and happy in solitude.

Awesome, comforting dog that provides companionship, entertainment, structure, and connection.

Part-time work delivering meals to elders.

A brain that does not always cooperate with helpful thoughts and feelings.

Difficulty enduring the stimulation of every day resulting in a constant feeling of being far away, as if watching myself try to navigate the world from above.

Chat with plants and animals and the natural world most days. A feeling of connection there, although no, they don’t actually chat back to me.

Disinterest in forming further connections with people as the forum now satisfies the need for human connection that I had noticed. (Plus a few friends that I have met here.)

It is early into my recovery from drugs and alcohol, so you will have to battle this every single day, but you cannot and will not give in, so don’t even think about defeat. Every morning you will muster your strength to keep moving forward further away from a sad and dangerous life.

Little to no money and a reliance on the support of others. This will injure your pride and make it difficult to envision freedom from indebtedness to others and crush you with feelings of gratitude and guilt.

You will feel like a literal child, just re-joining the world at 42 years old and starting from the very beginning.

 

[Mr. Stevens]

I don't think I'd want to swap with anyone unless they lived in a remote area somewhere and I got to spend a week without the sounds of a city.

I live a pretty cruisey life. A nice little ground level one bedroom unit in a quiet area. I'm on a pension and government subsidised housing, not sure exactly how much rent I pay but it's somewhere around $75/week so I have plenty of play money left over to do what I want with.

No pets and no family to worry about. No commitments of any kind, officially retired and free. 50 metres from a bus stop, 100 metres from a train station, and an electric bike for going to the local shops, no car needed. 5 Km to the west is lovely beaches, 5 Km to the east is hills and forests. It's a nice place.

[Edit] I forgot to mention, 2 decent computers with big screens, one more focused just on gaming, the other more on programming and number crunching, and optic fibre internet.

View attachment 112698

You can have a week in the country . If you want to be around some farmers.

You will also work 40 hours a week dealing with tons of interruptions and periods of boredom. Lots of soothing people's tears, teaching job skills, and heating up lunches. Doing paperwork. I usually get burned out late Wednesday or Thursday. Sleep trouble. And weak/in pain from the combination of stress and Lyme Disease, but you won't have to worry about that part!

Nights to yourself, though. No pets (which can be good and bad).

 

[Tom]

I already know from being here on this forum for the past few years, nobody would want my life. Most would probably not last 12 hours, let alone 24, and very, very few would last a week. Up too early (04:30), work too long (12-18hrs/day, at least 4 days/week, sometimes more), high intensity (110-bed neonatal ICU + ground and air transport), highly stimulating (anything can happen at any moment and often does), high responsibility job where perfection and mastery is required because their precious little lives are literally at stake. Deal with anxious, scared, stressed-out, sleep-deprived parents. Then come home to a wife who is very much driven to responsibility and duty like me (she manages some 600 medically-brittle, pulmonary patients in an outpatient clinic). Relax for an hour. Go to bed. Get up early the next morning and repeat. In addition to your regularly scheduled hours, you may be doing lectures and labs at the university or hospital, or perhaps creating lectures and educational materials for your co-workers. If you have any time left, then you will have domestic duties around the house, gardening and home maintenance.

On the other hand, you will live in a nice home, drive nice vehicles, have money to spend now, and investments for the future. You will also have a beautiful, intelligent, well-adjusted wife and two successful engineers for sons that you are very proud of. You will be able to go on nice vacations once or twice a year.

I'll trade if I am allowed to just walk cold into the operating room and do brain surgeries. I feel I am a natural and don't really need all the school and training. It's just like a cocanut that has gone to seed really. The shell is still hard but at that stage the fruit becomes soft and squishy.

At my end you'll just have to live in a nature park, guard one lovely queen and at the beck and call of three slightly pychotic little princesses 24/7. And don't forget the princesse's milkbones.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

My life.
Live on 40 acres surrounded by orchards.
6 miles from lake Michigan and the small port city of Frankfort.
Have 9 canoes and kayaks in the garage (each for various conditions, from large lake/ocean to fast moving water).
Plenty of snowshoes and X-C skis if you like the winter.
Retired and enjoy weekly outings with the Sleeping Bear Bike Club, Benzie Bike Club, and Traverse Area Paddle Club.
Member (secretary) of my township's Planning Commission, and the Election Chair.
Paved bike trails and hilly roads for cycling.
House set up for single level living. Woodshop in the basement, Wood fired Pizza oven outdoor.
Small porch with rocking chairs. 4 season room on the back with wood pellet stove.
Lots of idiosyncratic music CDs and movie DVDs.
(added) I am a short drive from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. If you have never experienced the unsalted coast this will amaze you.

 

[SusanLR]

@Outdated
I'll trade for yours a while. It sounds ideal.
Plus, I would get to see Australia.

I live in a large house that isn't mine yet. It needs some handyman fix ups inside.
Very pretty outside, at the end of a cul-de-sac with some woods and a golf course that's rarely used behind the house.
I own nothing of my own and rent two rooms and a bath in this house.
I have use of the kitchen, a car, and an enclosed pool.
Not much money by the end of the month and currently don't need much.
Live simply and don't socialize.
No pets or kids. Just have to be caregiver to the 82- year- old man that owns the place. Down-side: His personality leaves a lot to be desired.
It's country-ish, yet close to the city so shopping and all you need is only a few minutes away.

Approaching that 18th hole.

 

[Outdated]

Not much money by the end of the month and currently don't need much.
Live simply and don't socialize.

That's true for me too, except the socialising is starting to change. Because of the simple life I live the pension seems extravagant, I think I'm the only pensioner in Australia that can save $10K a year.

Just have to be caregiver to the 82- year- old man that owns the place. Down-side: His personality leaves a lot to be desired.

As a general rule I tend to get along pretty well with older people, I think I could handle him for a while with not too much trouble.

And having the use of a car would be nice, I'm going to have to buy one soon.

 

[Darkkin]

Location: Driftless Region (US)

Work: 40 hours per week at a bookstore.

(Frontside customer service, shelving...it is a busy, very active job. Those not accustomed to eight hours of standing, walking, and moving will be in for a culture shock.)

Homesite: Rented space in a 3 bed/1 bath ranch. Full access to house and yard. (Shared with my best friend). Library in the finished basement, full laundry room, no dishwasher (honestly, not something I miss.)

Must enjoy plants and pets. (2 dogs, a geriatric greyhound (13), a very opinionated husky/eskimo mix (13) and a judgemental cat (4)).

Tidiness is requisite. You start something, you clean it up as soon as you're done. No exceptions. Weekly cleaning to maintain spaces, daily tidying to keep things organized.

Everything is a five minute drive or a fifteen minute walk away. Located on a cul-de-sac, less than a block from the park, 1/2 mile from hiking trails, and 1/4 mile from the bike path.

If you're bored, you really don't have a clue how to keep yourself occupied. There are books, music, streaming services, a slightly archaic Wii, and wifi.

Pets and plants are priorities. Pets by rote routine, no fenced yard (we have a runner line, but never leave the boys unsupervised). Rue Dog requires a sizable time investment in terms of exercise and enrichment. (Try ignoring him...it won't work, ask anyone who's met him.) Kitty litter is cleaned twice daily, all three animals are fed around these time. Deviate from the routine and the boys will let you know.

Must embrace fur. There is a lot of it. It needs to be addressed on a daily basis, just like the kitty litter. (Dry mopping, sweeping, and brushing Rue Dog.)

Plants are on an as needed basis, some species thriving on neglect, others being total drama queens. Collection includes multiple orchids, alocasias, calathias, violets, succulents, bonsai, peperomia, hoyas, ivy, and philodendrons. (These need to be checked daily.)

Snow removal (shoveling) is necessary as early as November - April. Basic gardening chores, weeding, mulching, deadheading, watering required during the warmer months. (The only thing you don't do...mow the lawn. My best friend does that.)

Money: There is enough if you're careful, (packing a lunch for work, cereal for dinner several times a week, and one planned meal per week, utilizing leftovers). Pay day is once per week. Rent due on the first of each month.

Car is older, in good condition, but more importantly, paid for.

It is a relatively comfortable existence on what most would consider modest means. One's solitude is readily available and the quiet is a wonderful thing.

What does suck is cardiac follow up and check in ever fortnight. (Major, chronic, and very complicated heart disease...). Angina is a daily occurrence.

 

[Luca]

I would be really surprised if there is anyone on here who would want my life, or would be able to manage it. I don't think I really need to describe my life much in detail because I post about it (mostly the downsides, which there are a lot of) pretty much daily.

I will gladly trade with anyone who gets to deal with lots and lots of dogs but no humans, though.