In my own time!

It will be two years this month that I had to give up my job. After working for almost 40 years in the retail and banking industries , both full and part time, it made quite a difference to me being at home all the time. It wasn't something which was planned. I'd had a fall on my way home, and had damaged my knee. I ended up using these....

...until they could decide on my treatment. Well, two years down the line my knee is better than it was, but I still have problems. But I'm working on it, slowly. It was because of this accident which led me down the path I now take, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Don't get me wrong, I have loved every job which I've had,(and that's not something which everyone can say) and whilst the children were small I always believed I had the best of both worlds, because I managed to have a part time job which fitted in with Mick's full time one. So apart from the few occasions where there was a clash of hours, my lovely mum and dad stepped in to keep the children occupied. Once the children got older I managed more hours and longer days and still had my precious home time to cook, sew, make and play. But now I'm at home all the time, and it's wonderful! I do have one or two friends who would find themselves at a loose end, as they wouldn't know what to do with themselves all day. Well I can say quite honestly, that I can fill my days quite easily and still have enough left over to fill some more! I still don't have enough hours in the days, but one thing I do have is my own "time zone".....

...What I mean by this, is that I do what I want, whenever I want, unless, of course, there is somewhere to go on a specific day or time. But usually it's all as and when. This suits me down to the ground. because if I decide that I want to stay up until three in the morning to work on a project, well I can. In the new year ( hopefully) Mick will be taking early retirement and so he too will be governed by his own time zone. Exciting times for us! I recently saw someone who I hadn't seen for quite a few years, ( our children were at primary school together) and when I told her I was at home, her answer to me was " aren't you the lucky one! Mind you, you do still live in your old house don't you!" What she meant by this, is that we have lived in our house for over 36 years, and that we didn't chose to move to something larger ( like she did) because everyone was buying bigger at the time. We have always been happy here so why move? She and her family have in fact moved about seven times in about twenty years, each time, something bigger with more space ( and a lot more money to pay back) and now she complains because she's "probably still be working at 70 to pay for it"!! Well, it's all down to choice, isn't it! Do I miss the rushing around all day, the queueing up for the bus, the crowded streets...

..especially this time of the year..... no, I certainly don't. I still have contact with my lovely friends and workmates. But everything else I don't miss at all. I loved it and enjoyed it for almost forty years, but now I'll stick my own time zone, very happy and very contented!