Sunday, October 09, 2011

Goodbye work, Hello....?

What time does the bar open?
I had a few days off last month.  Unusually, I didn't travel anywhere, I stayed in good old Dubai.  No airport, no suitcase, no passport, just me and my favorite city.  Now, I've always been plagued by a work ethic, the sort that if chats about winning the lottery came up, I'd be 'one if those' who said: "Oh, but I'd still work. I'd have to. I'd go crazy if I didn't."

Last week I discovered something has changed.

I stayed at home and fell into an easy routine. Getting up around 9, coffee and breakfast on the balcony, reading newspapers, magazines, reclining on the purple velvet chaise  and devouring books, lazy lunch on the balcony....you get the picture.  I was under doctor's orders to rest, but managed to slowly spring-clean the entire apartment, emptying cupboards, sorting through my wardrobe, organizing drawers, the list went on.  As I'm the sort of person who loves to tidy in the same way that fat girls love brunch, this was absolute bliss for me.

And as the days flew by in a whirl of pleasure, a worrying feeling began to sneak up on me. As I sank onto the chaise for the umpteenth time, the back of my neck prickled with the slow realization that actually, I could quite easily never work again.

So, what to do? Well I've given it some thought and have come up with the following ideas:

Find a Sugar Daddy
Obvious flaw in plan: whilst I adore grey hair, I do have an upper age limit, however rich they are. Also, men of a certain age want women much, much younger than me. And less (ahem) strong willed.

Become a Yummy Mummy/Housewife
Obvious flaw in plan: having seen how hard my favorite Dubai blogger works, I'm not sure this would allow for enough chaise time. Also, UAE labour law only allows gives you one month maternity leave (always found this incongruous considering the Arab emphasis on family values).

Discover an as Yet Untapped Talent Within Me
Obvious flaw in plan: in my, shall we say, more 'oiled' moments, I like to think I can hold a tune, throw a few shapes, even bang out a tune (and it is only one tune) on the piano.  But let's face it, I'm no Gary Barlow.  And I'm not sure the world is really ready for a roller skating hula-hooper.

Win on the National Bonds
Obvious flaw in plan: as I do actually have some savings in the National Bonds, this is perhaps the horse to back.  My chances may be one in a trillion but hey, you've got to be in it to win it, no?

So there you have it. Whilst it's always wonderful to be surprised in life and learn something new about oneself, I'd rather it hadn't been this. Until I crack one of the ideas above, it's back to the daily 12 hour grind...wish me luck.

1 comment:

Mrs Dubai said...

There's a lot to be said for being a yummy mummy in Dubai once the kids are of school age - mornings to yourself from 7.30am to lunchtime....