I miss people

i think i have figured out why my frustrations are so high ,all or most of my working life i have been in what on my CV is described as public facing jobs ,interacting with the general public while performing my duties or work role ,i was a Postman for over 21 years i left in 2014 after the privatisation ,the conditions were getting worse and i saw early on they were not going to get better (10 years later of the 30 people i worked with 5 are still there -it was a small office) i left and set up a convenience store like a little spar (but not spar) i was independent that lasted 2 years lots of loyal customers ,just not enough of them , so i shut the door on that and moved on to my next adventure , im proud to say that i paid all my local or small suppliers in full before i closed ,the big corporate enterprises were not so lucky ,so i looked at my skill set and decided , i can still deliver stuff and with such a long time at Royal Mail i could walk into any courier company i wanted , i decided to try a company that was contracted to Amazon ( all parcels under 15 kg) and since 2016 i was there i moved between companies and Depots but i was again out and about and i have covered most of Scotland from the Borders up to the Highlands ,i really enjoyed going to new places meeting people ,last summer i was temp working in Inverness for months , airbed and camping stove in van ,wash at the depot and £190 a day then i had a stroke and it all ended ,my hardest month was December for the last 30 years its always been my busiest month ,to then go from that to nothing ,it was even worse i was living on ,universal credit , i had a little savings but that was for my daughters christmas presents ,im now looking for something to fill my time,all the charity shops and food banks are bursting with volunteers (idiots doing there 100 hrs community service mostly ) im needing a new purpose in life any suggestions

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Yes, first help yourself ; sort out as much as you can
Then help others, offering advice or encouragement on the things you know best
By that time something will have cropped up & you will feel a bit more connected to the world

good luck, Roland

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in my past i also had a computer repair shop ,when i started it it was in the days when a postman started at 5am and was done by 12;30 /1;00 pm ,my partner went in the morning ,she could do the basic stuff and i went in the afternoon for the more complicated jobs , it lasted 7/8 years by the time i stopped i wasnt finished till 3pm at the post office due to them moving start times back at royal mail getting later and later and having to work till 9pm soon got old ,anyway i thought of starting back again in a limited capacity but the hassle involved in dealing with people who want something for nothing isnt worth it and im not really up to date anymore and also i dont think i could fix laptops anymore as you need a steady hand for a soldering iron and better eyesight than i have these days
i did also sell stuff on ebay for people back in the day i had a consignment business on the side as well , you drop off your item to me , i list it with photos ,sell it ,pack it .post it for 20% of sale price after fees or an agreed fee -min £10 fee- this stopped people bringing in tat (i sold a motorbike for 10k for a £300 fee once)
im thinking of doing this again but for myself looking at charity shops and boot sales for stuff to re -sell ,just on a small scale for pocket money that should keep me busy

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I don’t know what sort of thing you are particularly looking for but our local hospital uses a lot of volunteers maybe thatvis something worth considering…plenty of people interaction there.

Our local council also use volunteers to help elderly / vulnerable people & tgat might be an avenue for you too.

Just a couple of thoughts from me.

Good luck finding something.

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Looking at the title of your post, and the prior jobs, I suspect you hope to meet with people face to face. And that getting paid is something you would also like… I like babysitting or companion care (mostly just sitting with disabled or elderly). Dog walking. Working in a retail shop, especially one you are interested in (pawn shop, antique market, farm market, grocery, gas station…), might be right up your alley if there is not heavy lifting while stocking. Flea market might be interesting. I hope you will come on Thursday to the zoom. Odd jobs to make a little cash is something another person and I have talked a bit about.

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I do this for some extra pocket jangle. I go around to the local opportunity shops (There are six in a half mile radius to me), pick up weird and wonderful curiosities and clothing and sell on. It gets me out and about during the week, not only hunting for bargains but also going to the various drop-off points to post. It can be financially hazardous for me though, I often walk out with an armful of stuff that I want to restore or keep, but I guess the selling pays for that privilege too. I chat with all the shop staff too, so there is a good level of sociality to the whole venture.

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