I’ve had a long break from blogging, at least in part because I’ve been handling a major life change – probably my last significant life change before I shuffle off this mortal coil, unless my husband decides to up and leave me for a sports car and a younger woman. Fingers crossed THAT doesn’t happen.
Anyway, about 5 years ago, I decided that I really needed an exit plan from my very stressful job as a criminal prosecutor handling primarily child abuse cases. I have never really talked about my work online, because I was in a public position and, also, because my job was often desperately sad. It was important, meaningful and I had a great career, but my cases were not the sort of thing that would be appropriate to share.
I semi-retired on July 3. I am still working in a legal job, but it is a very chill, part-time, contract and almost exclusively working from home position that doesn’t involve the same type of cases that I was handling before. I’m only in a courtroom one day a week, and that day is not Monday. I’m still becoming accustomed to not dragging myself out of bed five mornings a week so I can get into an office by 8:00 a.m.
Today, I slept in until 8:00 a.m.
I’ve been looking forward to, and planning intensively for, retirement for the last 5 years because I really wanted to retire early – my pension starts on my 60th birthday, which is about 30 months away. I knew that I couldn’t stay in my job that long. My stress level was through the roof, and my blood pressure was right there with it.
I’m still getting used to the change. I feel guilty if I don’t do something to productive every day. I feel like I should be working, even though my current gig doesn’t demand more than about 18 hours a week (and that’s what they pay me for, as well). I’m reading less than I expected, although I am reading a lot, because it feels so weird to spend my morning with my nose in a book. But I am also loving the ability to take off mid-week on a short trip, making a pot of soup on Wednesday morning, and being able to do all of my errands during the time that other people are in an office.
I have thought long and hard about what to do with this blog, and I’m going to stick with it for at least a year. If I find myself in a position where I don’t blog for 6 months again, I will probably move on with other projects. But I’d like to invest more time and energy into it as I figure out who I am going to be as a (semi-) retired person!
How exciting, and well done for prioritising your mental and physical health. Having a part-time role seems a very good transition, too. I know what you mean about reading in the day – I’m self-employed and sometimes I have a quiet week, like this week, but even when we had workmen in the house and I couldn’t work, I felt a bit odd about just sitting and reading. Fortunately I have a review book from a Prize to get read and reviewed at the moment and that feels enough like “work” that I can make myself do it.
Hope to see you in my blog feed again soon, I would miss you if you went!
Thanks so much!
I was just thinking back to your Dean Street December event last year, and wondering if you are planning to repeat it!
Yes, I am! I mentioned it in my review of a Stella Gibbons for 1962 Club. If you’ve been away from reading the blogosphere you might not know that they’re not going to be publishing any new books, but are keeping the current ones for sale as long as they’re in print. So we can still get hold of them and Victoria, who is looking after DSP, is keen for me to keep the challenge going.
Very exciting and congratulations! I made a similar choice and fully retired in March of this year. I turn 59 in October and like you, my pension won’t fully kick in until I turn 60.
Thank you for doing the job that you did for as long as you did – I’m always humbled by those that contribute to bettering society. I know you shared only a small snippet of the cost you had to pay for the job that you did but I am confident there are many people out there whose lives you changed for the better.
I also had a demanding job although being an executive at a mid-sized manufacturing company did not contribute in the same way your job did, it came with a high level of stress, long work weeks and significant travel. I realized in 2022 that I wasn’t reading as much as I typically had, I wasn’t blogging, I wasn’t reviewing on Goodreads and while I’m a bit shy to contribute to Group discussions, I would usually add a comment or two and I had stopped doing that as well. My husband and I hadn’t been spending quality time together and it seemed like all I did was work or talk about work. It’s been an adjustment – and is still a work in progress. I haven’t started blogging again but am reading more and writing some reviews on Goodreads and I’m starting to feel more relaxed about reading during the day, etc.
I have no doubt that you will find your semi-retirement rhythm soon! Whether here, on Goodreads or elsewhere, I look forward to reading your thoughts on the books you read!
Thank you so much!