Over the past few weeks I’ve had the pleasure of attending two retirement parties for friends.
Both had terrific careers in health care. One was a physical therapist and the other was a paramedic.
As I sat there I couldn’t help but hear story after story of patients they took care of or the many adventures they shared with their colleagues. Remembering people they worked with or the odd cases they experienced.
So many stories. So many shared experiences.
I’ve said it before: we never seem to take the time to see how many lives we have influenced or think of those that have influenced us.
Work is such a vital part of our lives. Vital not only because it’s something we have to do if we want to get paid, but it makes up so much of our lives and we meet so many people either as co-workers, clients, customers, patients (or in my case), listeners and readers.
A few years ago I wrote a chapter in my book about how losing your job due to a health crisis can be devastating because so much of our identity is wrapped up in our work.
People ask, “What do you do?” We respond with, “I’m a teacher” (or doctor or plumber, etc). When that’s taken away from us we can lose your identity.
Oh but for those that retire — especially if you’ve been doing the same thing for years or decades — what stories there are to share.
Like anything in life there are good times and bad. Highs and lows. Hopefully you had colleagues that helped you through the hard times and celebrated the good.
We spend so many hours with these people. There are “work wives” and “work husbands” who know all about you. Your likes and dislikes. Memories of each other’s children being born and your actual spouses birthdays.
Driving home from the party last night I wondered if today’s workers will have that same experience. There have been numerous studies and articles written about how people don’t stay with a job as long as their parents did.
Years ago people stayed with the same company for years, sometimes their entire careers. Now, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, wage and salary workers stay with their current employer 4.1 years. Just over 4 years!
There are many reasons for this. Salaries don’t always increase the way we would like. Some companies don’t like to pay you more because they don’t have to. They’ll find someone else who will do the job for less.
Companies don’t seem to have the same loyalty they used to. And some are sold and the new owners want to do things THEIR WAY!
Many workers are also leaving toxic environments. They realize they don’t have to put up with the pressures often put on them by stressed out managers or corporations.
True, they’re not all like that. If you have a job you love and people you love working for … cherish that! That has definitely become the exception not the rule.
To my friends I hope they enjoy their retirement. They have definitely earned the right to relax and enjoy life.
Hopefully you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My wife and I talk about it. We don’t see ourselves stepping away completely. We’ll do something to keep busy. I have another retired friend who drives the train at the Southwick Zoo a few days a week and he’s having the time of his life!
There are many more chapters left in life. What will you write?
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