Attila and I both worked Saturday, so Sunday is our big day at home to catch up and recreate and relax. We do pretty well, because we are long past worrying about the little things. Things like dust, and lawns that need cutting and clutter that accumulates, seemingly without human assistance.
We were treated to a surprise visit from Harriet, Caitrìona and Katharine, Harriet’s girl. They were gadding about on a Sunday drive and called to see if we were up for a little company. We sure were!
It was great to see them and catch up with the news. I have been thinking hard about having my hair cut, and the universe took care of it for me, sending me Harriet, who is very talented at cutting hair in such a way that one’s finest features are flattered. And so I sat still while Harriet did her magic, with excellent suggestions from Caitrìona and big smiles from Katharine. It is a terrific hair cut, as close to perfect for me as I am ever going to get! Nice looking, easy to style and quick to wash and dry.
Another big bonus to having Harriet cut my hair is that she has a gentle touch, and I enjoy the experience. And the company and conversation are first class. No indifferent stranger shoving my head to and fro, or attempting disinterested conversation, or even worse, indulging in gossip.
I have had a fortuitous and lucky day.
I have a little adventure up my sleeve, for myself. It is a little reward, and an experiment at the same time. I am celebrating semi-retirement, as I will no longer be sending out useless resumes for non-existent jobs. Attila and I discussed it and decided that applying for non-existent work destroys the quality of life, and at my age I don’t want to be wasting any more energy on useless, stupid activities. So I will retain the on-call non-job that I already have, work the few hours a month that are on offer there, and forget about the job search. It is quite a relief not to feel the constant misery and exposure to indifference to my job applications, or rejection, as it wears one down.
The temperature continues to drop, and the wind has picked up. Attila was outside puttering with lawn mowing and wood stacking. He says the mosquitoes are fierce. I will take him at his word, and remain indoors. May and June in the bush are “mosquito misery months”; I do not go outdoors if I do not have to.
Attila has been experiencing a rapid recovery. His eyes are not quite back to normal, but thankfully the Hogweed did not affect his vision.
Worldly Distractions
Weather
18C
Condition: Cloudy
Pressure: 100.5 kPa
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: 18.4°C
Dewpoint: 13.7°C
Humidity: 74%
Wind: WSW 21 gust 32 km/h
Quote
“Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
Mark Twain
1835 – 1910
I’m glad Attila’s eyes are feeling better. I can imagine you are much relieved not to have to be continually sending out job applications. The iris you shared the other day is beautiful.
I did (yay, I can say “did”) dislike constantly sending out job applications!
Thanks for the compliment on the picture!
Unless you’ve experienced it yourself–as you are now doing–it’s hard to describe how light you feel, how relaxed in being who you are, where you are, once you can stop job searching (or seeking a promotion if you already have a job). The improvement in the quality of life is almost immediate. It’s real; not imagined.
I surely hope Attila suffers no permanent impairment. That was a nasty case of severe allergic reaction. Was he cutting it down and handling it? Poor guy! (By the way, I hope “Attila” is a nom de plume or a nom de guerre and not his real name…). The only way I can visualise him as a warrior going into battle is when he’s fighting mosquitoes or black flies.
I am just beginning to wind down from the intense stress of constantly putting my personal information before indifferent and uninterested employers. Every day I feel a little bit better about being alive, and every day I do a little bit of archiving of resumes, and unsubscribing from job search resources online. Slowly I am surfacing into my own life!
LOL Sarah, yes Attila is a nom de plume, he is a gentle, peaceful soul. Most of the time. Not always. He has his moments, and when he does he gets back as good as he gives, and it all works out.
Attila was spraying the hogweed, where he works. Some sap must have gotten onto his boots, which he touched and then rubbed his leg, and it spread from there. It affects everyone the same way, it is a dangerous, noxious weed; it wasn’t an allergic reaction.
There is a time for work, and a time for replenishment (aka retirement). When you can’t quite make the transition and try to retire while still working a bit, I don’t think it does the trick. I can remember when I first retired officially from work, the thought that I had tomorrow to do some task or project kept popping into my brain and it was like a soothing wave of massage coming over me.. I didn’t HAVE to finish everything at once, there was always tomorrow. Today can be for just being… in the moment. This is something I never knew before.
Bex, I think you are right, it does not quite do the trick! I am winding down a bit, but not completely. I did myself a favour though, and turned down working with the difficult woman, someone else can deal with her! At least now the few hours I have booked for work are with a lovely person. As you point out though, the time and scheduling issues remain!
Funny thing, since writing this entry I have applied for several jobs. I just can’t seem to help myself, always looking for that opportunity!