Perhaps I've Finally Retired
A small realisation, a new direction for the podcast, and why creating has become a hobby again.
Hello from the village,
It's been another hot week here in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sort of heat that slows everything down. By mid-afternoon even the dogs have decided that finding a patch of shade is a far better idea than doing anything energetic.
Maybe that's why something has finally dawned on me.
After months, perhaps even a couple of years, of constantly changing direction, questioning what I should create next, worrying about numbers, algorithms and whether I was doing enough, I think I've realised what has been going on.
I don't think I'd ever really accepted that I'm retired.
Although I officially retired some time ago, part of me was still behaving as though I needed another career. Another business. Another project that somehow justified getting up every morning.
Looking back, I can see how often I'd changed direction. Video... then podcasts... then newsletters... then courses... then back again. None of those things were mistakes. They were all things I enjoyed. But I think I was still trying to turn every hobby into work.
This week, sitting outside with a Yorkshire tea (as I am now), while the crickets carry on regardless, I've found myself thinking...
What if I simply allowed these things to be hobbies?
Not hobbies in the sense of "not taking them seriously." Quite the opposite.
Hobbies that I care about because I enjoy them. Not because they have to earn their keep.
Oddly enough, that thought brought a sense of relief.
So from here on, I want to spend more time making the kind of audio I genuinely enjoy.
Stories.
Conversations.
The sounds of everyday life.
Those little moments that rarely make the headlines but somehow tell you far more about Bosnia and Herzegovina than another list of places to visit.
The podcast is becoming the place where all of that lives.
One small practical change you’ll notice is that I won’t be embedding the podcast player in Substack anymore. Instead, I’ll include a link to the podcast, where you can listen in your favourite podcast app.
It's a small change, but it means everything lives in one place and makes it easier for people who prefer Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or another app to listen wherever they get their podcasts.
More than anything though, I'd really like to build a community around the podcast.
Not a huge audience.
Just a group of people who enjoy listening, who are curious about life here and who don't mind taking the slower route through a story.
If you've been listening, I'd genuinely love to know what you think. Which episodes have stayed with you? What would you like to hear more of? Even a short email or comment makes more difference than you might imagine.
And if you enjoy the podcast, I'd be grateful if you'd consider following it wherever you normally listen. Every follower helps the podcast find someone else who might appreciate these audio letters from Bosnia.
As for me, I'll keep wandering with a microphone, recording village mornings, mountain walks, café conversations and whatever catches my attention along the way.
No grand strategy.
Just curiosity.
Somehow, that feels enough.
Until next time, Vidimo se opet
Bests
David
An excellent realization, David. When one realizes that producing is no longer necessary, that allows creativity to flow, to be more joyful.