Sixteen years
I started with RC May 13th, 1991. Classes had ended a couple of weeks before that, and in between the two I'd moved all my stuff from Toronto to Ottawa. I stayed there until Christmas 1999, and though I was still officially employed by them until February, I started at Rand on January 11th, 2000. My time at Rand ended November 14th, 2001, and I flew back to Ottawa on the 15th. On the 16th, I started back at RC again.Basically over the last 16 years or so, I've been off work no longer than a week or two, excepting my 6 week jaunt in the Orient a couple of years ago. And if I want to go back even further, I really haven't had any significant time off since some time in high school, around grade 10 or so maybe. So counting school and summer jobs that'd make it about 23 or 24 years straight working.
And now I'm home. I'm off work, officially, for the next four months. I packed up my office, boxed it all, took down my name plate, everything. I have no work identity now, and I find it very disorienting. I no longer need to jump out of bed to rush across town to get to the office on time. I just need to get the kids ready and get A off to preschool, then come home and look after I all day. Now, I know that's a job too...but it's not a 9-5, sit in the office and look busy sort of job. I guess maybe in its a way this is related to the north node issues of "relaxing and learning to not work all the time". But to change something this fundamental, it's a radical shift in my life and thinking.
Not to mention how much I miss E. But it's all for a reason, right? I'm learning a lesson by doing this, I know, and I suppose, in a way, I'm anxious to know what that lesson is.
