The subjunctive is a verb mood that expresses hypothetical (but unfulfilled) conditions/situations : “If I WERE (fill in the blank), I would/could ... ”
Is it old age or boredom that makes me start many of my thoughts in the subjunctive? "If I were back in Burma, I would stick it out for at least another year instead of chucking in a job that others would have killed for" or "If I were still in Greece, I would spend more time in the islands rather than giving my all, seven days a week, to a job that eventually got the better of me".
My problem has always been that I thrived on stress and stressed out without it. As long as the job was challenging and exciting, I was at it seven days a week. Once the routine set in, I would go crazy from time to time and become obsessed with something, and my obsession would sent me on a trip to a place from which the journey's origin could no longer be seen. As a result I made a lot of stupid decisions without an obvious motive.
I now wish I hadn't ...
