9-5

Why, oh why, must I wait at least 30 more years to retire? And why did I not choose an occupation like teacher where I could at least have summers off? I am kicking myself now!

I must admit that I have a lot of flexibility with my current job. I work from home. In fact, I can work from pretty much anywhere. I am currently at my parents' house in South Carolina. I am looking out over the 18th hole at Shaftesbury Glen and while I can't say I have any desire to go golfing, I would love to be at the beach or at the outlets, or sitting outside reading a book. Unfortunately, my job does require that I sit at the ready with a phone and laptop nearby.

So, why didn't I choose a career in teaching that would let me have my summers off? Or at least part of my summer off? (I have many friends who are teachers and they do remind me that they frequently have to work on the summers.) I'm a scaredy-cat. The idea of having to stand in front of a class of more-than-likely ill-behaved children scared the crap out of me. And I LOVE kids. But I imagined myself in a school with an uncontrollable group of children and it overwhelmed me. I often wonder if I made a mistake.

This brings me to retirement. Why don't we get retirement when we're younger and then we can work when we're older? I know you have to save for retirement and earn your retirement but let's pretend those silly logistics weren't really an issue. i would much rather have my retirement now and enjoy it when I was younger and physically able. When I'm 60, then let me sit in an office chair all day at a computer. I realize that not everyone has the type of job that I do, many people have jobs that require physical labor, blah, blah, blah. I'm thinking about myself here. Me, me, me. I want it now! And you're lying if you say you don't think this way sometimes too.

I suppose I could just not work at all. Ha ha! I wish! But oh, how I dream of the lifestyle - to get up and go as I wish. To create my own daily schedule which can change at a whim depending on what strikes my fancy. To have time to do the things I want to do, in addition to the things I need to do. To go to the beach if it's a nice day out. To go sit outside and read a book.

Wouldn't it be just luscious?
Shannon