FULL RETIREMENT

Today was my last day at the spa/health resort.  The full-timer for whom I spent Saturdays doing clerical work and some sales has decided to go part-time.  With her full-time replacement, there are no hours available for me.  In considering her changes and how it might work, I told her that it would just be the push that I need to finally fully retire; that, without the re-shuffle, I would probably just hang on until I collapsed.  I am not financially nor psychologically ready, but I definitely am physically ready for full retirement.

I have been in the formal work force for over 54 years.  My first real job was part-time sales at J. C. Penney at the age of 16, though I had a regular baby-sitting job prior to that.  In high school, I was a student secretary for a coach who was a retired military officer and, upon graduation, became a stenographer for the U.S. Information Agency in Washington, D. C. when the renowned newsman Edward R. Murrow was Director.  In addition to my week-day responsibilities in the USIA Offices of the Near East and South Asia, I was part of a week-end steno pool that worked for Mr. Murrow.

After the birth of my first son, my little family moved to my hometown where I worked as a stenographer for a nuclear engineer in a plutonium laboratory.

After the birth of my second son, when my husband found employment in another city, we moved and I worked for a while in the office of an early computer supply company; an IBM rival...then part-time sales, again, for a major retailer.

After another move, I continued my employment with the same retailer advancing from part-time sales, to merchant's secretary, to buying-office co-supervisor, to assistant sales manager, to sales manager with continually increasing staff/inventory/merchandising/training/payroll responsibilities.  When the company reorganized, there was a buy-out that seemed tailored to me as I just met the requirements for age and service.  I took the buy-out and did a wide range of temp work until I began to work for a major airline in a local call center.

I progressed from entry-level domestic reservation calls to domestic problem resolution.  Ten years later, when that company reorganized and put my department back to entry level, I stuck it out for another year and, rather than train for international reservation calls, I retired with a small pension and full travel benefits for life.

Having already retired early twice, I began a search for the perfect part-time retirement job.  An old retail management friend, who was director of a chain of retail thrift stores, just happened to be looking for someone to establish a training department to give their clients/employees some skills that they could take with them beyond the non-profit stores.  They established an entire training facility for me and soon after I graduated several classes, once again, both he and I were reorganized out of our jobs.  I was offered something different but not at all the perfect part-time retirement job, so I was looking once again.

I was offered two jobs on the same day; one as a weekend manager for a tourist attraction gift shop and the other as concierge at a renowned health spa/resort.

And this post has come full circle...

"While others may argue about whether the world ends with a bang or a whimper, I just want to make sure mine doesn't end with a whine."... Barbara Gordon