Zero Guilt Zone

I have been retired now for 9 months and the first question that people ask is if I am enjoying retirement, followed by their expressed wish that they too had retired. So many people are unhappy working, not necessarily unhappy with their job, but wish that they could work less hours with the same pay. I am lucky, having repaid the mortgage and other ongoing bills, I now have enough income not to have to work and after 33 years of full time employment, I can now be a bit more selfish and get paid doing the things that I want to do.

I don't feel 'retired', I feel that I have opened a new chapter in my life, the scary thing is that this new chapter could potentially last for another 20 years . Although I could always just start a new chapter! When I meet my working friends, I sometimes feel a little guilty that I am no longer part of the 'rat race'. That I should still be working for the good of the community, that I should volunteer for some worthy cause, that I can't just drop out of circulation. Then I remember the times I had lived for weekends and holidays, the count down to retirement, the sense of relief and excitement when I finally retired and the release of working stress and anxiety. I appear to have described a terrible working life but in truth, I enjoyed my job and had a successful career, but my first love was always home and family and as a working wife and mother, there is never enough time for both.


So now I can concentrate full time on my home and family because I've done my bit for the 'good of the whole'. I have designated my life as a zero guilt zone as I don't want a paid part time job, I don't want to volunteer, I can be an anarchist if I want. I don't need to plan much and I can be the author of my own destiny.


To date I have developed and enjoyed concentrating on my creative side. My current offerings can be found on my 2 'web shops'. My dressmaking and accessories can be viewed at http://folksy.com/shops/essell and and my art work at http://www.etsy.com/shop/EssellArt. I am now creating baby wear and accessories so a future category will be named EssellBaby.

I will keep you updated on life in my new chapter in my zero guilt zone!

Long term planning

 I now have long term plans as I have decided which road to take at my crossroads.

Following our second visit to France, my husband and I have decided to buy a temporary holiday home with an ultimate view to living in France permanently. I have fell in love with the country, the people and the environment and driving on the right is not so bad after all. At the moment we are in a 'finding out' mode as we need to do a lot of research and fact finding. Our overall plan is to buy a holiday home in France next year so that we can investigate the different areas and be able to view properties. My husband wants to be able to fish nearby and ultimately it would be my dream to open an art studio or a small shop to sell my paintings and sewing creations.

In the meantime I intend to continue painting and dressmaking and I'm planning to promote my creations via my own web page.