Sunday, August 21, 2011
Old and done
Most of the co-workers that I've been acquainted in diverse work places have at least one thing in common, they are all counting down to retirement. Yes, that's a rap, it's true. I the meantime, I always wondered what could and would become the measure of a person giving to mankind if he/she wasn't so occupied with retiring from the battlefield of employment?
Well trying to maintain an unofficial dairy to keep an update on those who got their wish for either an early retirement or traditional retirement (according to Social Security standards), the report is sobering.
There is Bob who reminded each and every one of us about his plans to sail around the world in his personal boat, worry-free. Last I heard his life has been docked at the local government subsidized convalescent home. He is being fed intravenously and must often utilize a bed pan to stop from wetting in the bed. Bob only retired 6 months earlier before his wife found him bent over trying to untie the rope that was holding his private boat to land. His wife says that he sustained a stroke that left him incapacitated to the point of his present state.
While many would point out that Bob's case is an aberration to what one can truly experience in retirement, I wouldn't be too quick to scratch the argument that many retirees may not be entirely incapacitated, but, incapacitated they are in different degrees where most fail to live up to their retirement fantasies.
Just received a card from John and Mary who are now enjoying a 7-day cruise across the Atlantic. They say the food is great. Actually I had received the card posthumously after John and Mary had returned to the states and I was able to personally thank them for remembering me. They seemed a little stunned as if they didn't recalled sending any card. Of course they were coming out of a social services office. I asked a passer-by what social services were being offered there. They replied mostly food stamps. It may be a bit cynical as I reflected on their boasting about the great food (7 days only) onboard that cruise of theirs and later being short on food when they returned to dry land.
More an more, I'm seeing older people becoming disparaged by their dire circumstances--not all, but enough of them. I've seen and heard so many dire situations for seniors that I've grown to believe that retirement is only a paranormal world to the world of those who remain gainfully employed or those needing employment. Retirement has seems to have become simply a label or a fruitless benchmark for many who foolishly expect a life of infinite and worry-free bliss once leaving the dungeons of heartless work environments. Not to say that one doesn't deserve the reprieve of many years of their dedication to hard work and service, but not many care to look at the bigger picture--the condition of the whole world. And, not to say that many have no alternative but to retire because they are unable anymore to keep up with the daily grind demanded of the body and mind. Maybe the real difference of the former and latter is the based on the words need vs. want.
One thing for sure is that as I continue to track the statuses of old acquaintances in the work-place, I'm learning that there is a growing consensus of many who have dared to ignore the traditional fantasies of retirement and are declaring that they would rather be old and done than old and confused.
Now kudoes should go out to those who seem to have made a smooth and yet rational transition. The cruise ship and the sail boat are only a slight part of their grand planning. Realistically, those who are really continue to address life issues in retirement are no different than the those who are standing in life for employment opportunities--not forgetting that life will have challenges until life itself passe.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
An Email for the ages
Sometimes nuggets found in some Email make you forget about newer versions of networking. Check this one out from Richard.
Boy did this bring back memories......
Those Born 1930 - 1979:
At the end of this Email is a quote of the month by Jay Leno.. If
You don't read anything else, Please Read what he said.
Very well stated,
Mr. Leno.
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO
SURVIVED THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's
And 70's!
First, we survived being born to mothers
Who smoked and/or drank while they were
Pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,
Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in
Baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode
Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
As infants & children,
We would ride in cars with no car seats,
No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and
Sometimes no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day
Was always a special treat.
We drank water
From the garden hose and not from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends,
From one bottle and no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon.
We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
And, we weren't overweight.
WHY?
Because we were
Always outside playing...that's why!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day,
As long as we were back when the
Streetlights came on.
No one was able
To reach us all day. And, we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
And then ride them down the hill, only to find out
We forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes
A few times, we learned to solve the problem.
Most of us even got a few "swats" on our butts at school then got some more
when we got home when DAD found out...
The teachers enforced classroom discipline.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes.
There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable,
No video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
No cell phones,
No personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.
WE HAD FRIENDS
And we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth
And there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt,
And the worms did not live in us
Forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
Although we were told it would happen,
We did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and
Knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just
Walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal
With disappointment.
Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law
Was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best
Risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years
Have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility,
And we learned how to deal with it all.
If YOU are one of them?
CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others
Who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the
Lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives, for our own good!!
While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know
How brave and lucky their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run
Through the house
With scissors, doesn't it ?
The quote of the
month is by Jay Leno:
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding,
severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with
the threat of swine flu and terrorist attacks.
Are we sure this is a good time
to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'
For those that prefer to think that
God is not watching over us..
.go ahead and delete this..
For the rest of
us...pass this on.
A Small Prayer!
God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you
let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.
I need this back. If you'll do this for me, I'll do it for you.
When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all
you need. Take 60 seconds and give this a shot!
All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the person who sent
you this.
Father,
God bless my friends in whatever it is that You know they may need this day!
And may their life be full of your peace, prosperity, and power as he/she
seeks to have a closer relationship with you.
Amen
Boy did this bring back memories......
Those Born 1930 - 1979:
At the end of this Email is a quote of the month by Jay Leno.. If
You don't read anything else, Please Read what he said.
Very well stated,
Mr. Leno.
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO
SURVIVED THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's
And 70's!
First, we survived being born to mothers
Who smoked and/or drank while they were
Pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing,
Tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in
Baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode
Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
As infants & children,
We would ride in cars with no car seats,
No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and
Sometimes no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day
Was always a special treat.
We drank water
From the garden hose and not from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends,
From one bottle and no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon.
We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.
And, we weren't overweight.
WHY?
Because we were
Always outside playing...that's why!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day,
As long as we were back when the
Streetlights came on.
No one was able
To reach us all day. And, we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
And then ride them down the hill, only to find out
We forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes
A few times, we learned to solve the problem.
Most of us even got a few "swats" on our butts at school then got some more
when we got home when DAD found out...
The teachers enforced classroom discipline.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's and X-boxes.
There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable,
No video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
No cell phones,
No personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.
WE HAD FRIENDS
And we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth
And there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt,
And the worms did not live in us
Forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and,
Although we were told it would happen,
We did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and
Knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just
Walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal
With disappointment.
Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law
Was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best
Risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years
Have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility,
And we learned how to deal with it all.
If YOU are one of them?
CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others
Who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the
Lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives, for our own good!!
While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know
How brave and lucky their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run
Through the house
With scissors, doesn't it ?
The quote of the
month is by Jay Leno:
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding,
severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with
the threat of swine flu and terrorist attacks.
Are we sure this is a good time
to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'
For those that prefer to think that
God is not watching over us..
.go ahead and delete this..
For the rest of
us...pass this on.
A Small Prayer!
God determines who walks into your life....it's up to you to decide who you
let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.
I need this back. If you'll do this for me, I'll do it for you.
When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all
you need. Take 60 seconds and give this a shot!
All you do is simply say the following small prayer for the person who sent
you this.
Father,
God bless my friends in whatever it is that You know they may need this day!
And may their life be full of your peace, prosperity, and power as he/she
seeks to have a closer relationship with you.
Amen
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Somebody else want you to retire
Not that you are gun-ho about retiring early, or retiring later, for that matter. You've look around and all of sudden it really doesn't make much sense with a depressed economy threatened with a double recession in three years time. On top of that really you can't afford it.
Alas, someone else want you yo retire. Yes. You heard that right. And, that someone is not your sons and daughters necessarily, who've seen you slave through the storms and rain over the years. They are even working to find you a good retirement home somewhere in the country and are committing to visiting you, with grandchildren, at least twice a month. But the truth is that they are not the ones who have the last say in your personal career journey. Yet, not them, but someone else is systemically working to make sure that you retire early, against your will.
Who could that be?
It's your boss. I bet you didn't recognize that coming even if you were well aware of the people in your workplace. It's just that stuff don't happen for nothing. Let's take a look.
The company that you've work at for over 20 years is downsizing. Whether you knew it or not a clandestine list was created that targeted employees most vulnerable to layoff. This was not whim decision, your name appeared on that planning list 3 years ago. You just didn't know it. Besides, you were only 58 three years ago and was making plans to go back to school to enhance your skills in order to compete for a better position in the company. Well, you can still go back to school if you choose, but the company you had plans to work in don't care. You are marked for the pastures.
Did you notice that mostly younger people (under 40) are being placed in the new openings. Who ever mentioned that the company bragged about internal promotions in their recruitment material and even in their employee manual. Yet someone said that rules are made to be broken. Your situation is no different than many in you shoes-- your age stands for outdated.
Experience is nothing but a number according to the new boss. It's not that you've being doing for years what your 20 something supervisor is learning. It's that you're teaching your new supervisor the ropes. You ask, why didn't they consider me? But once again you're off target. They did consider you (Didn't I mention the clandestine list?). They have already figured that you should be approaching retirement age and there's no room for old (excuse me meant "older") workers even if they are more qualified, more healthy, more mature or even if they are historically responsible for bringing the company trillions of dollars with lots of satisfied customers. No, forget about 65, 70,75 or 80, your kids have already found that home in the woods. It's time for you to join those other old workers who are scurrying for food, medical, and rent money.
But, look at the larger picture. You've got to quit one day. No one can go on forever. It's just that you don't get to choose that day.
Join the discussion on LinkedIn.
Alas, someone else want you yo retire. Yes. You heard that right. And, that someone is not your sons and daughters necessarily, who've seen you slave through the storms and rain over the years. They are even working to find you a good retirement home somewhere in the country and are committing to visiting you, with grandchildren, at least twice a month. But the truth is that they are not the ones who have the last say in your personal career journey. Yet, not them, but someone else is systemically working to make sure that you retire early, against your will.
Who could that be?
It's your boss. I bet you didn't recognize that coming even if you were well aware of the people in your workplace. It's just that stuff don't happen for nothing. Let's take a look.
The company that you've work at for over 20 years is downsizing. Whether you knew it or not a clandestine list was created that targeted employees most vulnerable to layoff. This was not whim decision, your name appeared on that planning list 3 years ago. You just didn't know it. Besides, you were only 58 three years ago and was making plans to go back to school to enhance your skills in order to compete for a better position in the company. Well, you can still go back to school if you choose, but the company you had plans to work in don't care. You are marked for the pastures.
Did you notice that mostly younger people (under 40) are being placed in the new openings. Who ever mentioned that the company bragged about internal promotions in their recruitment material and even in their employee manual. Yet someone said that rules are made to be broken. Your situation is no different than many in you shoes-- your age stands for outdated.
Experience is nothing but a number according to the new boss. It's not that you've being doing for years what your 20 something supervisor is learning. It's that you're teaching your new supervisor the ropes. You ask, why didn't they consider me? But once again you're off target. They did consider you (Didn't I mention the clandestine list?). They have already figured that you should be approaching retirement age and there's no room for old (excuse me meant "older") workers even if they are more qualified, more healthy, more mature or even if they are historically responsible for bringing the company trillions of dollars with lots of satisfied customers. No, forget about 65, 70,75 or 80, your kids have already found that home in the woods. It's time for you to join those other old workers who are scurrying for food, medical, and rent money.
But, look at the larger picture. You've got to quit one day. No one can go on forever. It's just that you don't get to choose that day.
Join the discussion on LinkedIn.
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