It's the third last day of our school holiday, and I'm starting to feel a little sad. Completely normal. It's a grey, overcast day - beautiful in its own way. Some of our best lessons come from nature. Maybe the lesson is that, whether it's school time or holiday time, there's always beauty to be found.
Looking back on this three-week break, I feel a sense of peace, because I was true to myself. I enjoyed a lot of solo time, I socialised more than usual, I did housework, and I even tackled some of my school tasks. Earlier this week, I went to school, where a colleague and I did a few hours of planning.
The enjoyable social things were going to the theatre with my daughter (Sondheim's 'A Little Night Music'), walking with my son and his dog, spending time with an ex-colleague from 30 years ago, going yarn shopping with my two wool-nerd friends, and having one-on-one lunches with a few good friends. A few days ago, I went out for lunch with my sister and two cousins. It was a first, as we normally see each other at bigger family gatherings, and it was really nice. We chatted for hours. Children of three sisters (now deceased), and having been in each other's lives fairly consistently, we had a lot to talk - and laugh - about.
On the creative side, I've been knitting children's beanies (for our school project), playing my guitar and singing, and trying a few recipes. I've also done a lot of journalling, which is one of my favourite pastimes.
I've been doing a lot of thinking about my job, and about jobs in general. I had been unemployed for three months when I was told about this teaching post, and encouraged to apply. I'll be honest - it had not been on my agenda to return to teaching at a high school. My previous job, which I'd absolutely loved, had been a part-time job, teaching matric English to adults. However, we suffered unfair treatment by top management, were not paid for six months, and the entire programme (VERY valuable in our country!) was shut down. (NB: Three years later, we've not been paid yet!)
So, while returning to full-time teaching in the high school sector had not been Plan A, neither was remaining unemployed. I'd been unable to meet my commitments for a few months, and my debt was increasing. What I needed most was financial stability, to sort out my life. Almost three years later, I'm totally immersed in full-time teaching, with all its highs and lows. I've spent some time journalling through the pros and cons of the job, which has helped me gain a healthy perspective on things.
Two other job-related thoughts: Firstly, I don't know when last I've met anyone who's told me she loves her job. My conclusion is that most people don't love - or even like - their jobs. That's sad. And secondly, I've realised that you should never take a big, job-related risk based on someone else's having done so. Especially when you don't know much about their new reality. Also, everyone's different. Maybe Person A leaves a job and starts a new business, but person B might want less responsibility, and be okay with sorting books in a library, a few days a week. Maybe Person C exits her job with a healthy pension saved up, but Person D might have absolutely nothing.
The topic of people working beyond retirement age, out of necessity, has been popping up in different spaces, and it seems to be a global issue. Life is constantly becoming more expensive, and even those who saved diligently find themselves struggling. I don't know much about government old age pension in other countries, but it's really small in ours: a monthly amount of R2,400 per person. (You're allowed to work, but may not earn more than about R9,000.) As bleak as this figure sounds, things have changed. Under apartheid, in the 1980s, a white person's pension was about TEN TIMES that of a black person. By the mid-1990s, the Social Security Act of 1992 had brought about pension equality for all senior citizens. As far as I understand, there were similar changes in other areas, like disability grants. So to those people who say things were better under apartheid, you were clearly on the privileged side of things.
I'm tired of writing. I slept late, had a leisurely breakfast (I love lazy, tasty breakfasts at home), and it's about midday. I have a few things I want to achieve, so I should start now.
Today is Nelson Mandela International Day - the anniversary of Nelson Mandela's birthday. Annually, South Africans, as well as people all over the world, are encouraged to do something, for 67 minutes, to benefit someone else. I'm not joining any gatherings today, as I'm in full, unapologetic hermit mode, so my intention is to crochet a small teddy bear, for which I'll find a recipient.
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