Edward Strouse had all the trappings of the good life: seven-figure job as marketing V.P. for a major telecommunications company, sprawling mansion in a gated exurban community, expensive sports cars, extravagant cocktail parties and beautiful women. Then one day he walked away from all of that for a $27,000 a year job driving a zamboni at the community ice arena in Trenton, N.J.
“It’s just you…and the ice. It’s an amazing feeling,” gushed the enthusiastic Strouse. “It’s been a life-long dream for me to do this and I finally took charge of my life to pursue that dream. I left my old world behind and never looked back.”
Waxing philosophical, Strouse sees the job as a sort of metaphor for life: that no matter how crazy things get in this world, there is a way to smooth over the bumps and make it like new again. “This job has a genuine therapeutic effect,” added Strouse. “It scrapes off the worn patina of the day and yields a nice shiny smooth luster. It invigorates the soul. You really should try it some time.”
Facilities manager Dave Gorman just shakes his head and smiles. ”The guy’s kind of a kook, ya’ know, with all this Zen crap he’s got going, says Gorman. ”Acts kinda fruity if you ask me. But he’s one hell of a worker. That ice is always like a mirror when he’s on the ‘boni. He really loves his job. You should see him out there on the ice, grinning like the Cheshire Cat as he’s tooling around on that machine. And the figure skaters and youth hockey players love him. He’s like a rock star to them.”
Following a dream like that doesn’t come without a price. Reducing his income by a factor of one hundred has dramatically changed Strouse’s lifestyle. Unable to keep making the astronomical payments, he has had to sell his lavish house and cars, and now rents a small apartment a few miles from the arena. Instead of driving his BMW or turbo Porsche to work, he takes the bus. But Strouse couldn’t be more content.
“I don’t care about all those material things anymore,” said Strouse. “I have found paradise on the ice.”
