Life Beyond the Desk

My lovely Twitter friend @preggersplays quit her job today and is questioning her decision to do so. For me, it was the best thing I ever did!

I had spent nearly my whole working life in London working in Media. It had huge financial rewards, I travelled the world first class, had drivers at my disposal, ate in the finest restaurants, drank the finest wines. Made many many friends. Why on earth, you might say, did you pack it in then?

Well.....because I had an opportunity to take redundancy and that gave me the freedom to choose and I chose to leave London, buy a little cottage here in the Cotswolds and live happily ever after. But it was more than that and before I start I need to clarify that nothing I am about to say relates to any of my colleagues that I twitter with - they will know to whom I refer!!

I worked in the 70s and early 80s when media was run by gentlemen. I then worked for a Fat Cat who was not a gentleman and by the time the 90s had arrived I was working for a company where only the financial bottom line mattered. Manners didn't and people certainly didn't matter.  It makes me laugh at the present day political correctness! My god I would have made MILLIONS in suing had the language that is considered offensive about women now existed then! It was routine to sit listening to who was shagging who in the office - and most of them were!! I remember one guy coming in to work with a terrible hangover and saying to me "I don't suppose there's any chance of a shag is there?" Whether I knew them or not people used to call me "darling" over the phone. It was part of the laddish media culture and actually I found it very amusing! Every other word began with "F".

But the back stabbing and bitching and competitiveness and the daily struggle to survive towards the end was horrendous. 

I wouldn't change the time I worked - I loved it. I cried every day and still loved it. Most of my friends are from the world of media and I love them.  But it was time. A new chapter, a new life and frankly - even without all the glittering accompaniments that went with the job - I have a better, happier less stressful life.

I've been here 8 years now and don't regret leaving at all.  I'm living in a truly English village where manners DO matter, where no one swears, where gentlemen still exist! So to @preggersplays I would say this....there IS life beyond the desk and it is YOUR life! Go girl!!