July Issue 105
All Rights Reserved
It’s one of those days. You know the kind; the ones where
there isn’t enough caffeine in the world to trick your body into a state of
productivity. My morning shower resulted in my leaning against the shower wall
trying to find the energy to actually work up soap lather. It was hard work. I
thought about going back to bed after. Honest! Today is just one of those days
where all I will have is the energy to wonder how long until I can go to sleep
again. Dr. Pepper has been assigned the task of keeping my productivity up when
I just want to lie down. The good doctor may not be up to the task.
I’d call my mom to get some sympathy but there are two
problems with that. Number one, my momma doesn’t have a sympathetic bone in her
body and would more likely than not tell me “suck it up, buttercup,” and two,
both my parents are finally retired. (I figure it’s about time, Dad’s in his
80’s. ) They don’t get out of bed before the crack of mid-morn anymore. No
point calling before 10:30. Sigh - retirement. I really like the idea of
retirement, or maybe it’s just the idea of naps I like.
Seems to me that the goal of adults, when I was but a child,
was to retire at 55 if possible and then if not, 65 at the latest. I think that
has changed. It is not uncommon at all for me, in my role as a career and
employment coach, to see individuals in the late 50’s, 60’s and even 70’s still
wanting to work. Some want, or need, to keep working for financial reasons but
the majority simply are just not ready to retire. And why should they? My mother-in-law
is in her mid-seventies. She works full time and usually finds time to go for a
run every day too. I’m planning on taking her zip-lining this fall. She is not
a napper! I have one client that is seventy eight and is showing no signs of
slowing down. I expect he runs circles around his younger co-workers. He has
the experience to know how to get the job done right without wasting energy or
time. He’s healthy, mentally sharp as a tack and has a sense of humour that
keeps me laughing throughout the day.
People aren’t collecting their gold watches at 65 and then
spending their days alternating between day time television, naps and perhaps
golfing or fishing as often. No, we now have a generation of workers that want
to keep on working. And I say more power to them. They have the knowledge and
experience that only comes from time and the wisdom to know what is truly
valuable to them. Naps or pay cheques, naps or being active physically,
mentally and sociably; naps or contributing back to the community, naps or
sharing your knowledge, naps or… well you get the idea. My father-in-law loved
retirement so much he did it four times. Apparently there wasn’t anything good
on daytime television because every time he retired, boredom would set in and
he’d find another job to go to. I once suggested he take the opportunity to
nap. He told me there was still too much he had to do and experience. “Gaylene”,
he counselled, “you can nap when you’re dead.”
So to him, and all the older workers who keep on wanting to
punch in on the time clock, I raise my glass of Dr. Pepper to you and say with
a yawn, “keep on doing what you love. Age is but a number that tells us how
many candles to put on your cake.” I’m going to go have a nap now; keeping up
with you guys is tiring.
Gaylene Smith is a Career Coach
with McBride Career Group in Strathmore and finds it ironic that what was
punishment as a child is now her daily goal… going to bed early, staying home
and skipping the party. You can email Gaylene at gsmith@mcbridecareergroup.com or pop in for a visit; she promises not to be napping and may even be
willing to share some Dr. Pepper.
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