Tuesday, November 15, 2011
And Now the End is Near...
11/15/2011
“And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way”
I flew into Los Angeles this past Sunday aboard Southwest flight 3651, ultimately heading to my company’s plant in Torrance, California for what is to be my last week as a fulltime employee of Virco Manufacturing Corporation. Friday, November 18th will be my last day, and it, too, will be spent on a Southwest flight, but that one will be five hours of blissful relaxation (I think).
“Regrets I’ve had a few
But then again too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way”
Five days from now I will be a retired Hell of a Guy. No more meetings, no more appointments, no reports to write or phone calls to make, emails, except for private ones, will be a thing of the past, no letters to write, no employee evaluations to do. I won’t have to do monthly itineraries, nor will my life be lived on a month to month basis, and, hallelujah, no more quotas. This is the good side.
“Yes there were times I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out, I faced it all
And I stood tall and did it my way”
On the other side of this coin is all I won’t “get” to do. This job has taken me to so many really neat places around the country. I think there are only about eight states I have not visited, and I have met people from just about all 50 of them. Over the years I have worked with some of the greatest people on the planet. I have also worked with some wacky ones and weird ones. I would not trade any one of them, all contributed to my success in one way or another and made my life complete.
“I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried
I’ve had my fill, my share of losing
And now as tears subside
I find it all so amusing”
Monday I began four days of my final meetings with my company’s managers at various levels in various positions. We are discussing and planning our strategy for 2012. My goal, even with my imminent retirement, is to make relevant contributions. On my way out I have opened up discussions of some touchy subjects – hell, they can’t fire me now! Along the way I hope I have taken some heat off my fellow managers.
“To think I did all that
And may I say not in a shy way
Oh no, oh no, not me
I did it my way”
All in all, as scary as the thought of retirement is to me, I am looking forward to it with a very open mind. I am planning my “charted course” and my careful steps along the byway.
“For what is a man what has he got
If not himself then he has not
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way”
And that is all I have to say about that…
Sunday, November 06, 2011
What the...
11/06/2011
Here I sit in my favorite chair in the family room watching Washington Redskins lose another football game on the muted TV as The Nancy naps in her chair, and thinking. My thoughts are all over the place.
I have thought about the game I went to see in Morgantown yesterday where my adopted WVU Mountaineers blew a game they should have won, and how much I wish The Nancy and I would have returned to The Farm last night after the debacle instead of spending $100+ to stay at a local hotel. I again revisited the many thoughts I have mulled over concerning my impending retirement and my very quickly approaching last day – November 18th.
Just to think Monday, November 21st will be the first day I have not had a fulltime job since March 1962 is a bit overwhelming, to say the least, and as much as I am looking forward to it I am nonetheless scared shitless of the thought of “retirement.” I am trying to plan for it, that is, what to do to fill the time; I want to fill my days with stuff. But the burning question is what stuff?
I would like to set aside some time to write the great American novel. All I need is a story, and that other thing – talent. Can I write a novel built on bullshit? You have to admit, as do I, it might be a daunting task, though I do have somewhat of a background in “standup philosophy” (Mel Brooks – History of the World, Part I).
My days might be filled with and built around sex, but that is merely a pipedream these days. Some of you are aware I talked about a retirement career as a geriatric porn star, but that, too, won’t materialize. Equipment failure, I am simply just not up to it. Another option might be body building, though I wonder if I have a functioning one to work on.
I will do a lot of reading, mostly history, but with an occasional novel thrown in for entertainment, but how much of that can one do? I read ten, fifteen pages and I am also ready for a nap – read ten, nap twenty. I have thought about painting, as in art, but my artistic ability may be more limited to walls rather than canvas, other than paint by numbers.
As I have said before, with just nine more working days left it is way too late to reconsider the retirement thing, and I don’t wish to do it anyway. This is a rollercoaster of emotions I am on at this moment, and the peaks and valleys grow each day. The undulations are wearing on me. I suppose this stress is natural, but it is a touch disconcerting for me. I am not used to stress of any kind.
And that is all I have to say about that…
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
20 The New 40...
11/02/2011
Watching the Today Show this morning and saw Al Roker talking with a lady carrying a sign saying “20 the new 40.” Al asked her if today is her birthday, to which she answered in the affirmative. My thought, Bullshit!
Are we fooling ourselves in thinking we are any younger than our chronological age? I would also answer this question in the affirmative. How does the old saying go, “You can run, but you cannot hide.” The undeniable truth is you are as old as you are, perhaps in a little better shape then your predecessors, but you are not any younger than the length of time elapsed since the day of your birth to this day. Get over it.
As I approach the 68th anniversary of my birth, and just having had a physical (fingers and all), I can report to you my doctor tells me my body is younger than some he has seen of the same age group. The fact remains, however, I will be just as 68 as the others.
I was awakened at 3:53 this morning by an aching knee, probably a consequence of forty-plus years of jogging (which I no longer am able to do). Periodically, I have some back pain that comes and goes in the middle of the night. I find if I sleep in a modified fetal position I can get some relief. Is this 68 is the new 48? I will never think so, it just more Bullshit!
Here’s the real deal: just be who you truly are. Enjoy life to the fullest. Create for yourself “The Best Day Ever” everyday you can take a breath. Love a lot, and often. Dance, even if alone. Smile. Pass out hugs. And by all means, act your age even if it hurts.
And that is all I have to say about that…
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Old Friends and Times Past...
10/30/2011
Yesterday I had the distinct and utter pleasure of visiting with some of my childhood friends. It was awesome. Imagine for yourself what it might be like to sit in a room at age sixty-seven with guys and gals you have known practically since the day you were born. It was better than awesome.
I am not quite sure The Nancy had as good a time as I, but she stood up to the task, and I am proud of her for making me proud of her.
This little reunion was the first time I had seen some of these folks in fifteen years, some others for twenty-plus years, and even some I had not laid eyes and smiles on for over forty years.
Andrew Chapel Methodist Church was the church of my parents long before I was born. I was literally raised in it. Its Sunday School was where I met many of these people; it’s scouting programs - Cub Scout Pack 144, Boy Scout Troop 144 and Explorer Scouts 144 and its Methodist Youth Fellowship provided even more. This is my extended family.
We arrived at the reunion’s venue, the home of one my boyhood idols, at about 1:30 on this cold, wet day. We walked in to find at least thirty old friends and one cousin. We hugged and talked and reacquainted ourselves and put names to faces by means of name tags. A few of us were recognizable, some not so much. In the end everyone looked exactly as they had fifty-years ago before high school graduations, the Viet Nam war and marriage took us on different paths. It was such a treat, especially since my high school graduating class has never had a reunion.
Death being such a huge part of living, some friends have already moved onto the great beyond. Missed but not forgotten, we honored them by merely getting together. As I sit here typing this little piece, the just revisiting yesterdayin my mind is an emotional thrill. I get a little choked up just thinking about it and so look forward to the day when I can do it again.
And that is all I have to say about that…