A friend said to me recently, oh but you could have had a much better job if you had wanted. I was a bit thrown. I have known this person over 30 years but they still do not seem to understand that for the last 20 years of my working life, I was only able to work part time, for health reasons, and re work I was mostly totally buggered working at the college because of their bullying and illegal practices. I also thought being a full time teacher was pretty good and it would have been had things not gone pear shaped work wise. That apart it has been a brilliant week because despite feeling knackered today, I have been well enough this week to meet up with three friends in one week - lunch, concert and a play, and how lucky to have three friends with whom to meet up. That feels special too. Retirement is lovely, but tinged with sadness over what is to come. 20 years ago there was time for reinvention, but it did not happen, 10 years ago I started travelling to all the places I never got to when working full time, but anything else I might of wanted to do it seemed too late. Last year though I finally did some acting and singing and this year more dancing, I always said however I would need to live to over 200 to see everything and do everything I wanted to, yet most of the time I just do more of the same and none in any great depth, so not the most creative life, but more creative than some.
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| Reminded me very much of his home that I visited in Vienna. |
But of course we do everything with a back drop of real things going on and this week, it feel closer to the start of WW3 than at any other time in my life. There have always been dreadful things, wars that scare ones, murders that panic one, MPs that make one despair, and every year it does seem to get worse. Trump type 1 was a nightmare, now he seems crazier than ever, invading bombing and yet whilst leading a peace group! Everything was always mad, but it is constantly getting madder. So there's a lot to be said for getting ready to vacate this place, but of course most of us never want to go. Wonder what Freud would make ot it all.
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| Freud's London home. |
