Unemployment Chronicles: Taking a Break

I have never been quite sure why we work as hard as we do.  Not everyone does - people in Italy, which seems to be about average for Europe, work an average of 1,585 hours per year, versus 1,824 for the United States.  That's 240 more for Americans, which as it happens comes out to six weeks every year that we are working and they are not.  We are not the top country in the world in hours worked, just ninth on the list I found, but the point is that in other countries like the UK, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Germany, The Netherlands and others, most people take way more time off than we do, and I bet they like it that way.  I be not many of them wish they could work an extra 4-5 weeks every year and make more money.

 

All of which is an introduction to the point that working for a few months and then taking a break is fantastic.  It would be more fantastic if I knew for sure how long the break would be and that it would in fact end, but you can't have everything.  Meanwhile, I do have this break, and it has been a chance to relax some and to get a few things done.

 

During the last two weeks, I have helped Lucas get his MIT application together by helping edit his essays.  The application was submitted on Halloween, so now it's finished, yay.  Jackie's transmission died last week, and the car won't be ready until next week, so that has been easier because she can use my car while I stay home.  Also, I caught up on all the Boy Scout accounting, and I have spent more time than usual obsessing over politics and polls, writing political pieces for Daily Kos, and reading Game of Thrones, which is just a really long series.  I have also spent a little extra time bugging Jarrod about his schoolwork, which is always a good thing.

 

Admittedly, this is not a particularly lucrative activity.  I'm not getting paid.  But I have worked full-time for a long time before this year, including the last eleven years straight, and perhaps now it is OK to use a little of the cushion that I have built over the years in order to take life easier.  This process is also known as "eating into your retirement savings," which sounds scary, but maybe it's not so scary.

 

 A week ago yesterday, I mentioned a job possibility with Robert Half again.  That one is still on the table; supposedly the client likes my resume, but they need to get approval from on high.  As long as it materializes, everything is good.