Sep. 25th, 2008

cybermule: (Default)
I wanted to be a vet when I was little, then a doctor when I was older. If I'd become a vet, I would have ended up as Mr Chinnery; the success and confidence of becoming a doctor would have turned me into Gregory House. Odd to see your future in TV entertainment portrayals.

I'm actually quite enjoying being a horticulturalist at the moment. Being physically busy out in the fresh air is good for me. Certainly much better than cooped up over a desk brooding. I'm getting rather sick of the handful of people who are unwise enough to ask me if I wouldn't rather be back in my old job "using my brains". I'm an intelligent person, so I tend to use my brains to do pretty much everything to an appropriate capacity, except when I'm getting out of them. I use much more interesting parts of my brain gardening - design, research and reference, project management.

What I really suspect they're trying to say is why am I not doing something I enjoy about 90% less for about 40% more money.

Well, the first and simple answer is that I'm not bloody stupid. I appreciate everyone needs to earn a certain amount of money. For people in low paid jobs, that amount is a necessity. I'm deeply grateful that I don't have to struggle for my living. For a lot of other people I feel there is some confusion between want and need. They could par their "essentials" down, learn to live without two shiny new fucking cars, and work about 3 days a week. But they're too scared. More and more these days, I fail to understand what we're all doing with this strange money concept.

Are we just using it to buy a cocoon to shield us from reality - subsistence and existence?

So one reason I don't work as a rat in a stats wheel is because I made certain decisions, compromises or sacrifices - whatever you want to call them - so that compared to many people, I don't need to earn that much money. Even without the help of a man :) Ergo I don't want to earn extra money and stash it in an ISA just because I can.

Secondly, there's the issue of childcare. I'd have to put the sprog in a nursery to work in my old job. Ain't going to happen. And that's a whole nother kettle of fish that I'll certainly boil at some point on LJ.

Thirdly, there's a natural energy issue. I'm using unnatural energy to be a number monkey, doing something I can force myself to do fairly well and coming home mentally exhausted. To garden, I use natural energy to do something that I'm actually good at without trying, and come home tired but alert and satisfied.

Worth a pay-cut. I'm not setting myself up as special here - everyone's doing what they're doing for a whole complex blend of reasons. I'm just wanting to be left alone to do my doings at this point.

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