As I’ve mentioned here before, at Christmas I decided that I was going to semi-retire on or before June 30th (simply because that was half-way through the year).
Obviously that hasn’t happened. Doing my normal day-to-day during lockdown keeps me busier than just playing video games, and it turns a coin.
Looking forward, goodness knows.
There is no way in hell I’m going back to the Northern Line at Kings Cross five days a week.
Move out of London? Will people still want London houses? At the same price? On the other hand it’s been very handy to have plenty of food shopping within walking distance of where I live - not something you’d necessarily get in a rural location. And we have a world-class hospital within walking distance. Didn’t need it this time, but next time?
I’m still (very) tired of doing the same old shit that I’ve done every day for the last 30 years.
My finances haven’t taken the hit I thought they had or would. I plan to liquidate my stocks and shares ISA literally tomorrow probably taking a hit of a few hundred quid, as opposed to the 30 grand that was a reality for a while, and the almost 100% loss I’d assumed. Did I mention that I fucking hate equities? Lost money every. single. time.
Yeah, well, that’s about as conclusive as I thought it was going to be.
Very sorry to hear that Kev. I missed you saying it and despite wondering several times how things were going I didn’t want to blurt anything out in case. Well.
I’m currently on my second lot of furlough, I return on Wednesday next week.
Last week I was contacted and told that the two people I work with in the office, my boss and the receptionist have been made redundant and that I have been kept on along with two guys in the works.
Paranoia/control freakery. The management are so much like the current cabinet. In many ways I think they’d rather a making-do sort thing with inexperienced people that will just say yes rather than letting someone experienced handle it. They don’t like experts.
Having the kids til midday each day has made me realize how out of touch with seasons I had become. We’ve spent time and shared moments that would have never happened in our old routine. The simplification has rearranged priorities in my mind considerably. How and where I spend money, how and where I spend time, who and what is important. The upshot is, although things have been fucking challenging at times, I feel more at peace which is surprising considering how volatile and uncertain reality seems to be today.
I imagine they really don’t like experts to fully appreciate the value they bring, nor clients to see that it’s skills and creativity of specific individuals and not the corporation that deliver brilliant tailoring, whilst they are paying for all kinds of nonsense overheads that add nothing.
This chimes in so much with my experience. I have company in the house whereas previously I would be on my own. I’ve really enjoyed being able to natter with the kids at leisure and not between yelling at them to get up/come down to eat/do their homework/etc etc…
I have nothing but dread.
I’ve really enjoyed aspects of Lockdown. One being reduced shift lengths and being able to drive in, and park close to work which reduced commuting times. I (sort of) got my life back. I’ve reveled in my job since moving to my new role in 2016, but have always suffered with the increased commute. I have lacked energy, am constantly tired, and only really survive on adrenaline. At 60, that’s not a good look. It’s been bliss simply being able to go into work for a short while, and get the job done without dramas or distractions.
One of the downsides of Lockdown is that Narelle couldn’t work. She is (since her call work dried up) self employed and couldn’t service the client base. This has had a real impact on finances. A few of our strategic financial decisions, made earlier this year, have been blown out of the water.
Thus, it looks like my “2 year plan” for retirement is fucked.
The traffic increase over the last couple of weeks, and the reinstatement of the Congestion Charge, has meant I’m back to commuting by train. That and the predicted steady increase in customer numbers, will call an end to shortened shifts and a calm workplace.
With little chance of moving to somewhere closer to home, my commute and hours will return to the same as before Lockdown.
With that realisation, I’m not in a great head-space at the moment.
This is a big one. A couple of good friends locally seem to be really struggling with this. They are usually very social but seem to be very confused as to the lockdown and how to go about it. It’s quite odd, they have been all or nothing and I’ve found that a request for a cycle ride might be rejected, only to find that a bunch of them have sat around a keg of beer in a field a few days later. I’ve politely withdrawn to the shadows…
I’ve lost more weight. And while the last couple of days haven’t been stellar, in general my digestive system has been significantly less mutinous than it normally is.
This has really changed for me. I was so tired when the lockdown started. Stressed, unwell - constant cold, drinking too much. It took a while but that constant tired feeling has gone and that is one of the things I’d really like to change. I’m killing myself over a few clothes, when I could be more productive away from the gun at my head.
I would be the first to admit that I’ve been very fortunate indeed. I’ve been working from home for the last two years anyway, so the lockdown didn’t change much. As I’m a freelancer like Gareth, I fully expected that they would stop paying me for the duration as my workload probably diminished by about 90%, but no, they’ve continued to pay me 80% of my rate, which is extremely generous.
Going forward, my crews are now starting back on the sites and I would have naturally assumed that the company might want give some or all of my workload to a permanent employee, but speaking to the MD on Friday, he said that he wouldn’t be confident that anyone else would be able to handle what I do, so he would like me to continue.
I’m due to receive my state pension in December and am thinking that I maybe should retire anyway fairly soon, but tbf, I’ve enjoyed the job for the last couple of years (since the change to home working) I don’t get stressed anymore and feel alike I’m very much on top of the work, so why not continue?
I am a very lucky man.
This resonates with me. I haven’t had to undertake anything as trying as you have Kevin but extended periods alone have been periodically tough. I’m perfectly used to working from home and my motivation is usually fueled by the entirely straightforward ‘don’t work, don’t eat’ lifestyle I’ve ‘enjoyed’ for the last eight years. Not being able to finish a busy day and pop up to have a coffee/beer with the friends I have worked hard to make following my divorce has been tough. One blessing is that I had at least moved out of the shithole rental property before this happened. I’d have been truly fucked if I’d been stuck there.
Work itself has held up better than I feared. Chord and AVForums in particular have carried on exactly as before and I’m tremendously grateful for them both. I think times are going to be lean for a bit but there’s always opportunities if you lift up enough rocks.
I do hope more people and organisations come out of this questioning why they have people travelling miles to do a job they could as easily do sat up in bed. If there’s one positive I take from this, it’s the breaking of that particular cycle that appeals most.
You’ve been dealing with an absolute ton of the hardest stuff Kevin. All the things you describe would lay anyone really low, and losing a parent is the toughest of the lot. As far as work goes, I’d think of it as being there for you at the moment, not you for it. If you find that getting down to it helps then do it, but I certainly wouldn’t agonise about it if it’s gone on the back burner. You need time to recuperate, not pressure.
The positive things in the second half of your post are what matter. The future holds more of them and less of the grim stuff.
I hope we don’t collectively forget the lessons of this lockdown.
But I suspect life will drift back to normal. Society is too driven by money and convenience, so the roads will gridlock with lazy parents (says he with no kids) and offices will fill up again.
The long and short of it is that there are too many people.
Lockdown has opened a lot of people’s eyes, but with a looming recession there is trouble ahead, not necessarily a relaxed land of clean air and staying home.
What might have been… hopefully this does inspire at least some change.