Decisions

My wife didn't have to go into work until slightly later this morning, because she was going straight to her first appointment, rather than going into her office en route, and we used the extra time profitably, by discussing our, or more specifically, my options on the job/financial front. One of the major frustrations my wife has had with our situation in recent times, which has led to quite a bit of tension between us, is that she hasn't believed that there has been a overall plan to deal with the issues, especially financial issues, that we have, accusing me, on occasions, of just letting things drift. That hasn't really been the case, in my opinion, because most of the inaction in the last year or so has centred around a vacancy which was due to arise last month in my company, for a job that would be more interesting, better paid, less stressful in terms of the issues that led to me having over a month on the sick list recently, with a better roster and closer to home as well. Given my experience, certainly in my line of work in this area of the country, I would have been the prime candidate for the job, but on the basis that anything that can go wrong, will, when the incumbent retired, the management, rather than advertising the vacancy, chose to reduce the establishment instead, as saving money is the be-all and end-all in the company at the moment, so the expected vacancy suddenly didn't exist. As soon as it became clear that 'my' job had evaporated, I began to apply for vacancies in other areas, amongst which is the job I was interviewed for recently and which I'm still waiting to hear about. After our conversation this morning, and given that it's by no means certain that the problems around my present job won't crop up again, I've laid out a definite plan with a definite timescale to my wife, and while I don't think it would be her first choice scenario, she's agreed that it's a viable option. If I don't get the current job I'm waiting to hear about, or any of the others I've applied for, before September, I'm going to leave my present job - it would effectively amount to early retirement rather than resignation, because I'd be looking to cash in my occupational pension, which would give us enough money to live on for 2 to 3 years - while looking for options that I would find more congenial in regards to earning a living. I've got a couple of self-employment ideas, not least amongst them being to have a crack at being a writer, either full-time, or at least part-time in conjunction with some more conventional kind of job. There's no doubt that it would constitute a high risk strategy, but I don't think it would be much more risky than sitting where I am now, waiting to either run out of money, or getting involved in another run-in with the local yobs and ending up by damaging one of them to the extent of getting myself sacked, or, worse still, arrested.

Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B