Fair enough! And yes, in the “work you don’t have to do” sense I am somewhat retired myself. Because of N’s income I have not felt the need to go for uncomfortable promotions, to stay on projects I hate (current project excepted...it’s complicated), work with people I deeply dislike, or be as politic about my opinions. It’s such a huge relief.
I work for structure, sense of purpose, butter-n-egg money (including retirement nest egg!), security, independence, to model working women for the offspring, and to balance out the other end of the work-life teeter-totter. And (current project somewhat excepted) I like being good at what I do and having skills that are valuable to other people.
Though I think one thing my mother could tell you about how she did it was that she didn’t really know ahead of time either. Happiness evolves organically (particularly for those who are self-motivated and have strong self-management skills; the rest of us need outside help) as you go, as you feel out what fits you, as you see what the people in your life need. Pretty sure whatever you end up with, you’ll rock it as only you can.
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I work for structure, sense of purpose, butter-n-egg money (including retirement nest egg!), security, independence, to model working women for the offspring, and to balance out the other end of the work-life teeter-totter. And (current project somewhat excepted) I like being good at what I do and having skills that are valuable to other people.
Though I think one thing my mother could tell you about how she did it was that she didn’t really know ahead of time either. Happiness evolves organically (particularly for those who are self-motivated and have strong self-management skills; the rest of us need outside help) as you go, as you feel out what fits you, as you see what the people in your life need. Pretty sure whatever you end up with, you’ll rock it as only you can.