Do I Need to be Docile?

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Today is my day off; the weekday that I don't work. It's been a feature of my life since moving from being self-employed in partnership with others to taking up a consultancy with another firm. I'm not tied to any particular day, and therefore arrange it around the rest of my schedule whether in the office or at home, but I do much prefer taking it mid-week rather than tagging it onto a weekend. Wednesday is my favoured day-off as I really love the timetable of: 2 off; 2 on; 1 off; 2 on.

Strange to think that soon the pattern will simply be 7 off. I feel excited at the thought but, on the other hand, recognise that even dropping a day a week (and initially it was only half a day) felt strange at first. Worse still I worked late last night to make sure everything was in order, to be able to steer clear of the office today and hopefully to fulfil a  promise to myself not to check my work e-mails on my mobile phone.

It's half-term and it looks as though I am going to have a lovely sunny day to enjoy with my daughter. Our plan is an hour in the gym, followed  by a swim and lunch out, after which we are going to take a trip to a local gallery of modern art. It's so sodden under foot after all the rain that we have opted against any long walks or outdoor activity. There are occasions when I return to the office after my mid-week break, feeling more shattered than on a Friday evening!

A couple of days ago, when she arrived at my office for a lift home, my daughter told me that I wasn't docile enough to retire. "I don't need to be docile," I cried, "I'm going to attack retirement with aggression."

Well at least I won't have to drag myself out of bed afterwards to get to work!


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