The Cool Sequestered Vale

 Augh! Now my sabbatical is over. That went by fast. 

I think the best part was the time I spent at my sister's house. Relaxing because there's nothing I need to do or be. I could just do what I wanted, read, do crosswords, do needlepoint, or watch Miss Marple shows with my sister. I was able to see her two California kids (her Washington kid is my upstairs neighbor) and grandkids. We ate out at some nice places. I spent a lovely evening with an old friend. I felt the love.

My motto as a career woman

Now it's the night before I go back to work. I'm a little anxious. Een beetje bang, as my great-grandfather used to say. Now it's back to get up at this time, not when you naturally wake up. Be here by this time and stay until another time. Act the part you've been assigned.

 

It's not all bad. The job I have now is pretty much the best one I've ever had, the most suited to my personality and talents. I only need to be back for about a month. I am retiring early in 2024. It's a bit early and therefore reduces my monthly Social Security payment compared to if I worked three to five more years. But I just don't have it in me. During covid isolation, I underwent a mental health crisis. It was pretty bad. The miracles of modern medicine got me back to functioning level, but I still am not fully equipped for the normal stresses of working life. So I'm quitting my job. It's the quiet life for me. Work (and before work school) has always been stressful for me. I've always wished I could stay home. Now I'm going to make my wish come true.

But first another month of work. On the night before, it feels like a long time stretching ahead of me, but, however long it takes, it will pass. A favorite poem of mine is Gray's Elegy in a Country Churchyard, and in that poem a favorite line is: Along the cool sequester'd vale of life / They kept the noiseless tenor of their way. That's what I'm looking for.