Retirement Benefit

I heard the other day that people on average take about nine months to adjust to retirement. I found that rather comforting as, against all expectations, I am finding it rather hard to come to terms with it. I say "against all expectations" because I had hoped that the fact of working from home for the last 15 years would stand me in good stead. But it hasn't worked out that way. Whenever I sit about doing nothing in particular, reading a book or a newspaper, watching TV etc, the tension very soon begins to mount and I feel I should be setting my hand to something useful, like writing this blog for example. I suppose the explanation is not hard to find: if you all of a sudden take away the rigid framework imposed by years of adhering to a timetable, then you're bound to find yourself running around like a chicken with its head cut off. In my case, I can't help feeling that the situation is aggravated because my work in recent years consisted of striving to meet a series of deadlines in the context of my status as a self-employed translator. There are no more deadlines to be met but the stress lingers on!

Not that I'm complaining. For the likes of me, its just a question of getting into and out of habits. The people who have my sympathy are those who find themselves unemployed whilst still in their prime and/or with a family to support. That's a different kettle of fish entirely.