Tuesday, May 20, 2008
20th May What is work - a day full of life?
Good evening from the Land of Nod.
We had talked of going out for a meal to celebrate Bill's birthday. I saw ourselves on Devil's Dyke, enjoying the view, maybe taking a few photos and then strolling into the pub sited up there.
But Bill confessed that he didn't really feel up to it.
But it has been me who has spent the evening asleep on the sofa.
Maybe it was the long hours in the shop that tired me out.
Now that we are closing you just can't keep people away and they arrive at closing time, wanting to browse.
So for almost 9 hours I have been at the desk, writing and wrapping.
Roger feels that I should view hours in the shop as "work" and not a chosen path in life, a hobby.
On that basis almost any activity is work .
I no longer spend much time being active in the community - but have never viewed being on a committee or timekeeping at an athletics meeting as work; even though these things take up a lot of time and sometimes create a certain amount of stress wondering if I could achieve all that I felt I should do.
I wonder if Roger views being curator of the village museum as work.
I see "work" as a means to an end - in my case it was always the way I knew best to keep the family funds solvent, even though I would always have much rather not be doing it.
Others may see it as a means to boost their position in life.
I suppose some are happy to have an employer give some structure to life and provide activities and a social life. Bill did reflect when he retired that he might be missing these things.
But fortunately the freedom of life without "work" has continued to give Bill most of these benefits.
Sorry - I have just used my general blog to muse on an answer to Roger's comment.
I wonder what others think.
Anyway - whether I view it as "work" or a hobby, there is no doubt that I have worked hard at Rocking Horse today - and almost entirely for the benefit of others. It certainly wasn't to boost the family funds today.
Each one of us sold today - but I had only 2 small sales today.
Having said that I should add that during the last week many of my things have been sold - hooray!
That will save us "work" at the end of the month.
This evening 5 bunches of flowers arrived from our friends at the athletics club.
The card was addressed to both of us.
I can only assume that somebody decided that we had had more than enough of our fair share of bad luck spells just recently.
I have just heard Terry Pratchett (very successful author and recently diagnosed with Alzheimers) on the radio - he described such a spell as we have had as a "Clapham Junction" period of life!
Bless him - Bill had the work of dealing with the flowers whilst I dozed. I am not sure if they can all stay indoors. Lilies are beautiful but the scent disturbs me.
I am not sure if I shall feel fit enough to be a timekeeper at the Open meeting tomorrow.
Perhaps I should stay away with excuses of my continued pain to feel like I justified receiving the flowers!
I have ached a lot as the day has progressed - and mostly I was sitting still. But that chair behind the desk is in dire need of replacing - except of course that it won't be now.
Right, I wasn't going to ramble write so aimlessly. Sitting here doing very little beats making the effort to climb the stairs and deal with night "wee" bags and so on.
But I must get on with it and continue to sleep.
Tomorrow or the next day maybe we will have a lunch time meal out to celebrate Bill's birthday and to enjoy being here in this world, despite what has been thrown at us recently.
Well, I must draw this "Clapham Junction" of a day to a close.
Goodnight.
We had talked of going out for a meal to celebrate Bill's birthday. I saw ourselves on Devil's Dyke, enjoying the view, maybe taking a few photos and then strolling into the pub sited up there.
But Bill confessed that he didn't really feel up to it.
But it has been me who has spent the evening asleep on the sofa.
Maybe it was the long hours in the shop that tired me out.
Now that we are closing you just can't keep people away and they arrive at closing time, wanting to browse.
So for almost 9 hours I have been at the desk, writing and wrapping.
Roger feels that I should view hours in the shop as "work" and not a chosen path in life, a hobby.
On that basis almost any activity is work .
I no longer spend much time being active in the community - but have never viewed being on a committee or timekeeping at an athletics meeting as work; even though these things take up a lot of time and sometimes create a certain amount of stress wondering if I could achieve all that I felt I should do.
I wonder if Roger views being curator of the village museum as work.
I see "work" as a means to an end - in my case it was always the way I knew best to keep the family funds solvent, even though I would always have much rather not be doing it.
Others may see it as a means to boost their position in life.
I suppose some are happy to have an employer give some structure to life and provide activities and a social life. Bill did reflect when he retired that he might be missing these things.
But fortunately the freedom of life without "work" has continued to give Bill most of these benefits.
Sorry - I have just used my general blog to muse on an answer to Roger's comment.
I wonder what others think.
Anyway - whether I view it as "work" or a hobby, there is no doubt that I have worked hard at Rocking Horse today - and almost entirely for the benefit of others. It certainly wasn't to boost the family funds today.
Each one of us sold today - but I had only 2 small sales today.
Having said that I should add that during the last week many of my things have been sold - hooray!
That will save us "work" at the end of the month.
This evening 5 bunches of flowers arrived from our friends at the athletics club.
The card was addressed to both of us.
I can only assume that somebody decided that we had had more than enough of our fair share of bad luck spells just recently.
I have just heard Terry Pratchett (very successful author and recently diagnosed with Alzheimers) on the radio - he described such a spell as we have had as a "Clapham Junction" period of life!
Bless him - Bill had the work of dealing with the flowers whilst I dozed. I am not sure if they can all stay indoors. Lilies are beautiful but the scent disturbs me.
I am not sure if I shall feel fit enough to be a timekeeper at the Open meeting tomorrow.
Perhaps I should stay away with excuses of my continued pain to feel like I justified receiving the flowers!
I have ached a lot as the day has progressed - and mostly I was sitting still. But that chair behind the desk is in dire need of replacing - except of course that it won't be now.
Right, I wasn't going to ramble write so aimlessly. Sitting here doing very little beats making the effort to climb the stairs and deal with night "wee" bags and so on.
But I must get on with it and continue to sleep.
Tomorrow or the next day maybe we will have a lunch time meal out to celebrate Bill's birthday and to enjoy being here in this world, despite what has been thrown at us recently.
Well, I must draw this "Clapham Junction" of a day to a close.
Goodnight.
