May 31 2008
Joys of Retirement ONE - Detachment from Job
As a Joy of Retirement, Detachment from the Job is more than just relief from the daily 8-to-5 grind. It is RELEASE!
During my final years of employment it seemed that I made an extra effort to get involved in everybody else’s business. Every political intrigue, zoning flap, and personal feud was my daily fuel. I had to be informed about everything, it seemed. Every new building that was being built in town, every alley full of weeds, every stretch of mangled sidewalk, every pot-holed street, every broken street lamp, every downed tree branch, every askew street sign. Whew! How exhausting!
Why did I do that to myself? And even worse, in retrospect, was how resentful I became of others who remained aloof and stayed in their own little cubicle, totally unconcerned about what was going on all around them. Why didn’t everyone want to learn how that new copy machine worked? Why didn’t everyone want to know how to change the paper in the plotter printer?
Why didn’t everyone get into a tizzy when a toilet was leaking or a fluorescent light was blinking? Why didn’t everyone else drive themselves crazy? Perhaps because I was doing my best to drive myself and everyone else crazy.
I couldn’t see the sky but for the fog I was in all the time. I am so happy to be out of the fog. When I retired, I had a little trouble “letting go;” but once I did, and I realized that the City government would function just fine without me, I really opened my eyes to the sky and could see blue! It’s wonderful, and I apologize to all for making their workdays so miserable with my constant interference. But mostly, I am just happy for myself. Life is now joyful.
