Dear LPG,

Isn’t it funny how the rest of your family suddenly see you as the person with time on your hands when you are newly retired?  I have to admit that I thought the same until it happened to me.

By the time I was ready to retire I thought that the hardest thing that I would have to deal with would have been the amount of extra time that I would end up with.  I did make plans in preparation for when my work time expired.  They included the usual holidays and plans to do all those things that I have not been able to because my work got in the way, but I was not prepared for how many members of my family would think that I have all the time in the world to help them out just a little bit.

I soon became the family member who is called upon to feed the cats when their owners are on holiday,   house sit while they arrange for a man to fix something or pop down to the shops because they will be at work when it opens.  All the Amazon, eBay and other online purchases seem to come to my home because it is assumed that I will be at home all day.  

This continued for quite a while before I learned that very important two-lettered word ‘No’.  Which I usually follow with an explanation of what I will be doing at the time they want to solicit my free services.    

I am not saying that I never help out these days but I have managed to get my family to understand that I do have things to do and I am not always available when they feel that I am the answer to their dilemma even though I am retired.  I also learned that offering to help with a neglected garden or the baby sitting can turn into something you start and which can be taken for granted if you are not careful.

So, in these days of online shopping where deliveries demand that the person receiving the delivery be ready to receive it at any point during one given day, make sure that you do not become the family member available for any time-consuming service because if you are not careful your own life plans will end up taking a back seat in favour of those of the rest of your family.                                

RM, Catford

LPG found some information …

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