I am a 57yo man who had previously worked as a travel RN but recently accepted a permanent job at a VA medical facility. My tentative start date for the new job got pushed back twice over the summer and resulted in me being off work for almost 2&1/2 months. For the month of July, I returned home and stayed with my elderly parents and though the weather was exceedingly hot, and I didn't do much of significance, the time off for me was absolutely magical. Every day, I would awaken naturally in the morning (not feeling like I was pulling myself out of my grave at 04:30), have coffee with my parents, go to the gym, and take a nice, long bikeride in the afternoon, then have dinner, watch a little TV, and went to bed when I got tired. I can't tell you how much I despise being a wage slave and how not since I was a teenager out of school for the summer had I felt that kind of freedom and contentment. It shouldn't be like this