Nicky

Retired recently after a long career as a tour guide:

“I liked the work. I did it every day. Wake up early, come back late in the early evening. Long days. And then I said ‘no. I don’t want to be at the [tour group’s] hotel at 9 o’clock in the morning. I don’t want it anymore.’ It’s a kind of stress. My whole life I worked on my toes. Always under stress, always running … now that I’m retired it seems like I have no free time. The days fly through my fingers. What I really want to do is read books, play piano, do my Chinese lessons. But I’m busy all day doing normal daily things, and then the day is past … I feel like every day is a holiday now. I don’t feel the stress to go to work anymore. It’s not necessary to do anything. I have my own time. I can do things on my own time and not to do what people want me to do and things like that … I had a normal life, for me not a bad life. Of course, I missed having a loved one, being in love. I worked as a guide for 50 years and that was my life. I did it and I enjoyed it … now I concentrate on how to keep myself fit and things like that. I do most things for myself. My niece always says ‘Nicky, think of yourself and follow your heart now. Do what you like to do best and don’t listen to anymore others.’ It gives you a feeling of freedom. I can go my way, do it my way. Now for instance I make my own trips, and I don’t ask even someone to come with me. I just go. Next weekend I’m taking my bicycle to the other side of the country and I will make my own trip for some days.”

(Amsterdam, Netherlands)