Coming home after a long journey: work and everyday life

Living on a houseboat is absolutely perfect and of course a feeling of freedom even if you can't leave the quay directly by boat. But it won't be confined. Jobs will come along, but you need to value things other than work as well.
I chose to stop working and draw my occupational pension when I was 61 and I have never regretted it. Admittedly, I worked a little after that in Stockholm, Thailand and Beijing and it suited me well.
I think it's important in life that work doesn't consume all your energy and that you have time for everything else as well. It is often a matter of prioritising financially and since our daughters were born in 1981, travelling around the world has always been prioritised over many other material things (but we have lived in our own house without buying new furniture and a new car every year).
At the top of my list of priorities is being healthy and doing what I want to do when I want to do it, and I hope to do more travelling. And of course spending time with my grandchildren.

Even after 12 months of holidays here at home, there is still a weekday ahead. A different everyday life perhaps, but still in a holiday environment considering that you live on the boat and with a view that could be found in any holiday paradise. Well, apart from the temperature then;-)

I think you were brave to skip the service in favour of your dream trip. In fact, I would have done the same!

You only live once. Money is certainly not everything. BUT the "luxury" I have had and am fortunate to have left, I do NOT want to get rid of if you know what I mean.

Our jobs took the time it took with our generous employers. And we loved our jobs. BUT working yourself to death is not a good idea. BUT if you love your job, as I/we did, you continue as long as you enjoy it. You should have fun quite simply and at the same time cash in if possible. Oh yeah:-)

I realise that this is a huge adjustment for you. It was brave of you to resign from your previous job. And wise, I think. All too often the job takes up too much of people's lives, which I know from my own experience. But, when you think the job is fun, you go for it. However, I would have made some other choices if I had to "start over", but I am not bitter and regret what I have done. I ended up at Getingstorp in the end and I would have wanted to do that no matter what my previous life had been like. All's well that ends well, if I may say so.
Enjoy your everyday life and good luck with your job search!

Tough decision there with the job, but completely right in my opinion 🙂 .

I tend to agree with an old colleague who always said "My body has no need to work..." 😉.

My current job as Ama de casa is the best I have had 😀.

How interesting to hear about how it feels to come home and about the job situation!
I certainly understand that the trip was prioritised so that it could be completed as planned.

Living on a boat sounds undeniably cosy. It's great that you don't have to feel trapped in an apartment just for the freedom of travelling.

Regarding work, I think like this: It's not everyone's privilege to work with their major interests. But I do! I run my own communications agency as a copywriter and communicator. Of course, being self-employed isn't always a walk in the park, but the opportunity to do what you're passionate about makes up for it. As well as the freedom! I live in a small town and it's only a five-minute bike ride to my office, which I love (it's in an office hotel with nice friends as room neighbours).

The job is also intertwined with my private life, as the line is blurred when it comes to work shifts, travel blogging and all the networking on social media. Sometimes it gets too much, with long evening shifts. Then it is nice to go to the gym or out for a walk. When work is life, life just can't be work! 😉 Complicated perhaps, but I think you understand how I think.

Good luck with the practicalities and your future job plans!

Brave to give up a good job to make the trip! I probably wouldn't have done it without coming home earlier in that case. But then I'm a real coward, I want to be safe around me. I deeply dislike not knowing how life will develop. But I also realise that you have a very good education and valuable professional experience to bring to the job search, so in practice it is of course no problem for you to find something good again.

When it comes to prioritising between work and leisure, it has been a live discussion for some time here in our house. I started a few years ago to take time off every Wednesday to avoid being so tired and to start the job weaning process. Now for a couple of years I have been working Monday - Wednesday and Friday, i.e. 60 % and it's gold, I can be happy on both days off and work days. Now I have turned 65 and next academic year I would like to work 40 % so only Monday and Wednesday. Since I like my job very much, I would like to continue as long as I can for my employer. I suspect that it must end at the age of 67, the municipality has a limit there. But we'll see, my negotiating position is good, well-trained and authorised special needs teachers don't grow on trees! ;- ) Roland has a small construction company and takes care of administration, transport and arranging new jobs, but is otherwise very free, so we have a lot of free time together, which we appreciate. It is good to think sometimes how you want it and not just work on.

It's not so hard to come home when you're just doing rounds on the red carpet like you do. As far as work is concerned, the best thing is to find a job that you enjoy and doesn't feel like work. Developing and fun. Hard to find but it's there. After all, you spend a lot of time at your job. Then I think that if you never work, you don't appreciate holidays and time off... but I don't know that for sure. Maybe it's fantastic. Otherwise, come here and I'll sell you to a sheik and we'll have the money for you.

Hello my friends I continue to read your blog it is great to hear that you are doing well too bad you could not come to Malmö greetings from Malmö.