Strange Times

Somedays lately, work feels like how the final days of the third reich must have felt. Chaotic days, though that's nothing unusual but the sudden exodus of people leaving (or fleeing?) for other jobs ….. that has a feeling of desperation of sorts. Not used to seeing it over the years, except the loss of people to retirement decisions. Over the years, people have been mostly lifers. But there's now seemingly a trend of those in "key positions" going elsewhere. Then you observe certain changes in processes and the way things are done, not getting the hoped for results and you start to wonder about the future of the company.

But you keep on trying to do your best while ignoring the long established, uninformed rumor mongers and negative voices. The people who enjoy tailgating onto any situation and spinning it with their special brands of armchair analysis, "fake news" and trouble instigating. People who you know have no access to inside knowledge except for that which was created and spins around in their tiny minds and/or discussed and relayed in top secret huddled encounters with other paranoid, small minded types in daily bonding sessions. People who after reading my last few sentences wouldn't recognize themselves in the words.

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Each Summer, there's many new faces at work ….. people of various ages and backgrounds. One of them stopped me and asked if I was "kind of like 59?" ….. "I wish" I laughed, "I'm kind of like 62." He informed me that he was 59 (I would have guessed kind of like 69) and asked about retirement and social security. I felt badly that I couldn't tell him much. I mean, I've never really looked into it. In fact, it's kind of like I've been avoiding it.

And why?

I heard about a lady in her late 70's or 80-something who was still working, refusing to retire because she didn't want to stay home ….. I guess she had a fall in a parking lot a few days ago resulting in multiple bruises and scrapes to her face and arms and also resulting in her son pulling her aside and saying: "That's it! It's time for you to quit!" No word on how that was received and acted upon but my thought to the person telling me the story was: Hell I would have no problem with staying away from work, it's all the phone calls, office visitations and paperwork leading up to that point that I am dreading.

I do have a bunch of vacation remaining this year that I need to use and if wanting to add on, some sick pay also that's available, though it's been at least ten years since I've used sick pay. (Damn sense of responsibility and work ethic said with tongue in cheek.) All that time off in November and December is going to feel like a preview to retirement. I'm going to feel like a new hire upon returning whenever that time off runs out. I suppose I need to get around to doing the math. But procrastination is one of my specialties.