Being semi-retired is tough, but here is certainly much less stress in my life since I left the regular work I’d been doing for 30 years.

It wasn’t really a surprise. I saw it coming when they cut me from being a full-time employee to a part-time worker. I worked the hours — morning shift, 6 to 10 a.m. —  no one liked, hoping to make myself invaluable.

Every night I was in bed at a ridiculously early hour. I’d be out of bed at around 4 a.m. and at work shortly after 5. When I was cut to part time, I made sure I stopped giving the company free work and showed up closer to
6.

So I was laid off. It’s been more than 6 months now and some differences have been immediate. Some are taking longer.

I no longer get up at 4 a.m. Some days I get up at 8, others I sleep until 10.

I still go to bed relatively early, but am trying to stay awake longer and longer in the evenings.

Running my website has become like a full-time job. It takes much more work than I thought it would. But it’s not at all stressful. If I get a story, fine. If not, fine. I’ll get it later. Although I update the news as often as needed, in some cases several times a day, Gloucester County Online is a lot like a weekly newspaper for me.

The important thing is the stress, or lack thereof. There’s nothing weighing heavy on my back as I go through my days.

And THAT’S just fine with me.