Behind The Wheel, Part 2

 

 The holidays are pretty much done, thank goodness. I no sooner started working -five hours a day, five days a week and every other Saturday - than I squeezed in the little bit of shopping and baking I did for Christmas. I threw in a road trip to Maryland to see my friend Mike race at Timonium Indoors, and had an opportunity to see the play The Color Purple thanks to the generosity of my friend Jill. I enjoyed a couple of family holiday dinners and caught up with some other family members at my Uncle Louis's funeral. I'm pretty much looking forward to winding down and spending time indoors writing in between walking outdoors when the weather permits. The trails are generally less crowded in January than July.

     So now to adjust to the new schedule and fit the rest of my life around those five hours in the middle of the day. After being retired for five years I am still getting used to the routine of the work day. Even when I was still a nurse, I had not worked five days in a row in like forever! The last fifteen years I had only worked three days a week, but when I did work full time it was usually two to four days in a row and every other weekend, for decades. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make here is I don't know how to combine the pleasures I've enjoyed while being retired like daily walks and time at the keyboard to write, with the opportunity to earn some money.

     The job itself is pretty low stress. The first week had me feeling nervous. Would I be able to find my way around driving to the different shops on my routes? The second week was kind of an adventure- yes, I can do this - remembering to check orders before I left, getting used to which door to use at different stops, recording the little bit of documentation required. After just about a month, I'm comfortable doing the job, and now I need to find my balance again.

     I drove in all kinds of weather  to the hospital and then people's homes as a nurse, so I should be able to drive auto parts to local shops in Winter. That was one thing I quickly took a liking to in retirement. If I didn't want to go out in the rain and snow, no problem, I stayed home. I keep reminding myself that having free time to enjoy activities and travel is more fun when I can afford to do those things, so it's off to work again.