After nearly thirty years of working and then nearly six weeks of not working, I find myself in an odd mood.

I guess it’s the absence of an external imperative – like a boss who expects you to turn up every day and provide labour or services in exchange for currency.

To not be doing that – providing labour or services in exchange for currency – is a highly unusual state of affairs and one that should lead to an emotional response something like this:-

But after the first two or three weeks of freedom from conventional expectations and instead taking the opportunity to simply mooch around from one coffee shop to another, doing little more than taking pictures of nice things and pretty places and ambling happily along, an inner nagging voice starts up in your head.

”This is all very well, you know, but you really ought to be doing something a bit more productive”.

“Like providing labour or services in exchange for currency”.

Finding a response to that voice has been an interesting philosophical process.

Is it OK to be indolent?

Is it acceptable to answer to no one but yourself?

Is it tolerable to have no greater plan for the day but to generally wander in the direction of yet another well-reviewed bakery or cafe for lunch?

Yes, it is.

Pretty much.

But not for ever.

Like it or not, we humans do crave structure and a timetable of sorts and, you know – providing labour or services in exchange for currency.

Sooner or later, I’ll need to do that again, as beer and cheese and bacon are all quite pricey here.

But in the meantime, I’ll try to listen a little less to that inner nagging voice and just enjoy not providing labour or services in exchange for currency for a little while longer.