Something to do

I've heard that some people get really restless and sometimes depressed when they retire.

Right now I'm in between jobs and really have nowhere to be unless someone calls me for an interview. A couple people have asked me if I'm losing my mind yet, presumably because they're expecting that not having a day job would be disorienting and leave me feeling directionless.

It's a weird thought, because based on what I've always heard, people are often exhausted by their work. They can't wait for the weekend, the workday sucks all the life out of them, they're physically and emotionally tired. It seems to me they'd be delighted if they had a chance to get away from work, provided they still had a means of sustenance. 

And yet, with the exception of brief vacations, most people spend much of their lives working at a job, and when it's taken away, they don't know what to do with themselves.

Advice for retired people always urges them to take up a hobby or stay active. It's good advice. But for me, I've always been self-directed when it comes to hobbies, and I always did wish I had more time to engage in them. Now that I (temporarily) have more time to do whatever I want, I'm basically doing the same things I was doing, but I'm completing them a little faster. I spent four months planning a longish fan comic and working on it in my free time, and then I got the majority of it colored and finished within a week. I got my book prepared for my agent. I got some e-mail done. I've gotten to do some recreational drawings and fiddling around with music.

I need to write more often, and read more, and send more stories out. I need to make some videos. I need to get some webcomics done. I've got a ton of work to do, and without a day job I don't feel as desperate to make the most out of my free time. That's a nice feeling--to acknowledge that relaxation is helpful and necessary. And I haven't had a vacation like this in . . . years, I guess. Since the last time I was unemployed, and that was much more stressful than this because I also had no money then.

Long story short, I am not struggling to find something to do, and I hope I can make the most of this little oasis between day jobs. :)