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What are you glad you don’t have to do anymore?

(146 Posts)
Gelisajams Sat 09-Jan-21 12:53:33

I’ve just been watching my next door neighbours playing with their little daughter on a sledge. One pulling her back to the top of the slope and the other catching her at the bottom. It brought a smile to my face watching them from the comfort of my house but I’m glad I’m not obliged to play in the snow anymore. (Even if my 21 year old head tells me I would have fun, my ageing body certainly wouldn’t thank me!) it got me thinking. What else am I glad I can’t/don’t have to do anymore??

Tooyoungytobeagrandma Tue 12-Jan-21 17:08:06

Glad I don't live with my stbxh anymore having to listen to him snoring or slurping his breakfast (heard despite being on a different floor!). Not having to compromise on decorating, colour choices, what to cook etc etc. It's bliss, just need to retire now and life would be almost perfect (covid can do one now) ?

Ginpin Mon 11-Jan-21 12:28:13

Wait for the phone to ring anymore.

Have not done any Supply teaching since March 20th 2020

Now I can just get up and go down to the allotment if I so wish without hanging around until 8.30 am.

No pay but I saved a lot of money growing our own veg last year and get loads of exercise.

Daftbag1 Mon 11-Jan-21 12:21:01

Worry about money (I don't have any so easy), constant washing and ironing, care what others think about me!

Craftycat Mon 11-Jan-21 11:02:32

Go out to work! I was more than ready to give up when I got to 60 but held on for a couple more years doing part time.
Now I'm 70 &I like being my own boss & getting up when I want to.
I don't know how anyone can be bored at home- I love it.
I will be glad when DH goes back to work ( he is younger than I am) as I do like the house to myself during the day!

Lilyflower Mon 11-Jan-21 09:58:21

Another vote for teaching. It was a great job and the contact with the children was very rewarding. However, latterly, OFSTED, management, data crunching, the observation regime, political correctness, having to teach Citizenship and snowballing admin became overwhelming.

I retired, burnt out, stressed and ill and life has been bliss ever since.

Gransey Mon 11-Jan-21 08:18:52

This!

Santana Mon 11-Jan-21 07:27:17

Calendargirl

Go to work.

Driving to said work in mid winter, snowy and frosty, wondering if the roads would be passable. Kept me awake at night worrying about the morrow.

Go to work Christmas parties.

Having to hug and kiss virtual strangers on first acquaintance!

Absolutely!
Plus having to be nice to people I couldn't stand.

GagaJo Mon 11-Jan-21 07:10:19

Oh Nicegranny, YES! Servicing a bloke is so much work! I work with one like it and have recently withdrawn my extra work to pick up what he doesn't do. He's running to keep up.

Nicegranny Mon 11-Jan-21 05:06:56

I’m glad l don’t look after a man , have sex or be just married.
I’m glad l don’t work anymore.
I certainly don’t miss early mornings and late night’s.
Not having to listen to over privileged clients and their spoiled kids.
I do miss my own children now they’re grown up, their innocence, sweetness and cuddles and just being a family (even being divorced it was lovely with young children).

Lorelei Mon 11-Jan-21 01:49:22

Spend a small fortune on feminine hygiene products - I would say every month but that would be an understatement as the need was never-ending. I have a lot of sympathy for those who suffer from any related problems and support efforts being made in some places to end 'period poverty'. I've even stumbled across a few places that either provide free products, encourage people to donate products or money with which to buy them, or to support another woman if they can afford to do so. When I no longer needed these items I donated the lot to some of the women I worked with (clients, not colleagues) and knew struggled with the monthly cost.

Glad I don't have to get up early for work, or have to work late into the night. That I don't have to use public transport or walk home alone. Glad I can swear without the condemnation of colleagues. Glad to be out of the often-hostile internal politics of the workplace.

I guess I could also add not having to go to pubs and listen to the inane drivel from drunks, and no longer young or pretty enough to be the target of clumsy amorous morons!

M0nica Sun 10-Jan-21 21:49:38

1) live in a house without central heating
2) have periods
3) Care for elderly relatives I did it willingly for nearly 20 years, but I am relieved I no longer have to do it.

watermeadow Sun 10-Jan-21 21:07:10

From when I first had children until I was a granny of sixty six I had horrendously bad colds all winter every winter. I worked in a school so was continuously in contact with children.
When I retired the colds stopped. Now I get a few mild sniffley ones but never the awful ones which dominated my life for over forty years.

Mez14 Sun 10-Jan-21 20:56:26

Reading your comments makes me want to retire as soon as possible. I would like more time to myself as my teaching job certainly invades my family time.

Kryptonite Sun 10-Jan-21 20:46:15

So far in my reading, I've noticed quite a few happy ex-teachers! I remember a teacher who was about to retire who booked herself into a spa on what would have been the first day back in September, so she could think about her colleagues on their first day back and wallow in her new freedom!

homefarm Sun 10-Jan-21 19:28:53

Drive to work in the snow, fog, ice. I could manage one at a time but not all at once.
Getting the children fed watered and ready for school, then having to drive them there [20 miles away].
All the washing, ironing and cooking that went with it.

JadeOlivia Sun 10-Jan-21 19:24:05

Spending two hours a day travelling, wasting petrol, then preparing, washing,ironing work clothes every day, preparing my lunch ....worrying about being late and bad weather on the roads ....yes working from home is not always easy but for me the benefits largely outweigh the constraints.

Shropshirelass Sun 10-Jan-21 19:23:42

Going to work running my own business in these awful times. Don’t miss it a jot!

Grandma11 Sun 10-Jan-21 19:21:36

I'm glad that I no longer have to get my children up at 6am and have them dressed and off to the Childminders before my Shift at the local hospital began at 7.30am, the late shift was much easier to manage, as was night duty, but we had to take our turn at doing all three! I'm glad that I no longer have to put up with the antics of a Step mother who's behaviour towards me and my children was horrible and unwelcoming, to a point that if I did need to visit my Dad, I felt physically sick on the way, knowing full well what awaited me.
I am grateful of now being retired and no longer on the front line of the NHS during this awful pandemic, dealing with the first ever Aids Patients in the UK was bad enough. I am grateful of having the time and good health to have travelled with my husband during our retirement before frailty and old age set in. I am grateful of living long enough to see my 11 beautiful Grandchildren born and grow, and become a Great Grandmother as well.

bluekarma Sun 10-Jan-21 19:04:07

Be married any more

hollysteers Sun 10-Jan-21 18:59:06

Being on the school pick up rota (a 25 minute drive each way to bring back a few children apart from my own). I was always the black sheep, late or sumfink ?
Bitchy women ‘friends’ colleagues and their remarks. Don’t have to see them now, hooray.
Falling in love (or lust) too often.
Cooking a ‘proper’ big evening meal every night, meat and two veg or similar.
Worrying too much about how I looked.
Monthly - -haemorrhages- - periods.

Artaylar Sun 10-Jan-21 18:41:21

Public speaking - this was around 10% of my work for over 20 years and I absolutely detested it

Having to sit in on pointless meetings when there were a million and one other things to deal with

Managing whinging and backbiting staff

The dreaded team building away days

Apart from all of the above I really enjoyed my work, particularly working with the public, who for the most part were really great. Also miss the great banter that I enjoyed with colleagues - mainly building contractors

Elvis58 Sun 10-Jan-21 18:34:01

Getting up inthe dark coming home from work in the dark.
Racing to get 3 children ready for school.
Retirement bliss! I sometimes put my alarm on early ,just to wake up smile and turnover.

Barmeyoldbat Sun 10-Jan-21 18:31:41

Does anyone else remember those belts you wore to keep your sanitary pads in place. The pads had loops and the belt had hooks.
Anyway back to the subject I just love being able to what I want in my own time, lie in bed late instead of getting up at 6.00 am, being polite and nice to some of the idiot I worked with. Not having to wear smart clothes all day.

Ohmother Sun 10-Jan-21 18:10:11

petunia

Back to the buying chocolate instead of sanitary products, it must be 15 years since I last bought any. Would I be a bad person if I backdated those purchases. What would 15 years worth of chocolate look like?

Are you worth it?.....of course you are! ?

Calendargirl Sun 10-Jan-21 18:05:57

It’s sad that so many of us have written ‘go to work’ or similar.

I used to love my job, years ago, (bank clerk) but it changed when it became all about sales, targets, new processes that seemed to change every week, endless pointless courses to attend, continuous ‘training’ that had to be slotted in between dealing with customers..... and so on.