Career changes

I read with some amusement a column in today's NYT describing five 20 something men who threw over their office jobs to landscape, hang drapes, build stone walls and bake.  They all sounded like converts to a macho cult of exhaustion.  As someone who made the transition from physical to mental labor 30 years ago, I would tell these poseurs to report back after 10 years of 100 hour weeks spent outdoors or in the sauna of a bakery and let me know how that's working out for them.   These guys are the poster children for those who would raise the retirement age.  Maybe if they start at 30, they will be able to withstand the rigors of decades of physical labor better than previous generations.  All I will tell them is working on farms and nurseries for 20 years part and full time took a toll on my knees and joints which remind me of human frailty every time I stand up after sitting for several hours.  My hobby garden is further proof that working with your hands may be satisfying, but it's hard bought with aches and pains.  I don't think I'll be giving up my day job to indulge in macho fantasies anytime soon.