So this is the fourth month of unemployment, eh?
*looks left*
*looks right*
*pets a sleeping tabby*
At what point does it change from "unemployment" to flat out "retirement"?
So here's the thing ... I know what I can do - what I'm capable of, job-wise. I know what I LIKE doing, I know the environment that I do best in, I know what kind of management style I respond well to ... I know all those things. And yet I find myself unmoved to actually DO anything about this ... ermmmmm ... "retirement".
Truth be told, I don't really have to do anything at all about it and, while that's nice, it's obvious to me as I stroll - slowly stroll - through the "Crackers/Nuts/snacks" aisle of a grocery store at 1pm on a Tuesday, I'm in the minority here. People my age don't retire. People my age who aren't receiving a paycheck have children, usually a couple of them. They spend their day picking up the mess from the family dinner the night before, they go to the pharmacy to get their prescription, stop by the library to return a few books, and then they drop by school to pick up their kids.
Now before ya' say it, I'll save you the trouble. Employment - or the lack thereof - hasn't exactly been my biggest issue as of late, I know. I'm not making light of what my body has put me through ... what it did to me. I respect my limitations, though I am not fond of them. Even so, those limitations seem to be more and more limited these days. I'm running out of excuses ... maybe that's when one starts saying "retired" instead of "unemployed".
Typically, I end my day under a hot stream of water. I've always been an evening shower person. I find the warmth and the sound very relaxing and a great way to make my head shut up. Earlier this week, I stepped out of the shower and, for whatever reason, I spent several long minutes just looking at my reflection in the mirror. That person there? She didn't "look" sick. She didn't "look" sore. She didn't "look" like a patient (my newest least-favorite word). Despite the massive bruising that seems to never go away completely and the arms that have been witness to a barrage of needles, she looked ... calm, actually. At peace. She looked alright.
Additional strangeness - she seems to be smiling. And I've think I've been hearing her laugh, too. What the hell is THAT all about?
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4 comments:
I've you're staying up late watching your favorite movies...taking leisurely coffee breaks in Panera with a good book, and letting people cut in front of you in the parking lot because you're really in no hurry...you are retired.
If you are up till 3am watching infomercials, eating the same cereal every day (sometimes with water), and you scream at anyone who even THINKS of taking your parking place...you are unemployed.
Besides, laughter is a good thing. Well, most of the time. ;)
GREAT comparison, Dana. Clearly I'm retired.
I made a late-afternoon grocery run and insisted the woman with two VERY - let's use "energetic" - children go ahead of me at the meat counter. Ya' woulda thought I'd just given her a lead on free reliable child care the way she reacted.
It feels good to do small favors for strangers and friends alike. I try to do that, too. :-)
How about calling it a leave of absence? That is rather noncomittal. I like it--helps maintain one's privacy from prying folks you don't wish to share with.
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