 |
| OAFS Photo |
Don't know how many of you readers do the Book of Faces, I do, it's good for keeping abreast of what the family is up to, kid photos and the like. Things that I posted in the past pop up and remind me of other times, different times. I avoid the political as much as possible it's anathema to me.
Anyhoo ...
The lead-in photo is from eight years ago. It came up today in my memories over at the Book of Faces. That's my late cat, Sasha. I have written of her and her sister Anya more than once in this space. (This one is a favorite.) That photo was taken by me whilst in the midst of recovering from surgery. Hernia I think it was, probably caused by the surgery I had done the year before for my diverticulosis. (Which is why I have a semi colon now. Heh.)
At any rate, I was in rather a bit of pain due to the cut made in the abdominal wall. (Do you know how much you use your stomach muscles on a daily basis? I didn't until I had incisions therein. The answer is, a lot.)
Sasha appointed herself my guardian on that occasion (the year before as well). Whenever The Missus Herself or Your Humble Scribe were seriously under the weather, Sasha would be there. Providing moral support if you will.
The picture really set me back a step or two. Sasha has been gone for over three years, her sister Anya died over a year ago. I swear I still hear their footsteps in the night. I can hear one of them jumping down off of one of their high perches where they kept an eye on things. I miss them.
Life moves on, things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes not. But change it does and one must learn to adapt or risk becoming mired in "what was." I try not to do that but hey, sometimes it just happens.
Heck, I'm not getting any younger, retirement approaches (less than 120 days to go), and things are going to change. Again.
They changed after I retired from the Air Force, 25 years ago. In fact, today marks the 25th anniversary of my starting employment at the current gig. Which will end in a few short months.
Walking around the building I will see something and realize, in four months, I won't see that any more. Do I feel a sense of regret thinking of that? Well, yes and no.
No more getting up at the butt crack of dawn and sweating the incompetents on the road, working through the day, sometimes dealing with howling maniacs who have no idea what they are doing.
But I'll miss the lady who makes my breakfast, I'll miss my co-workers and the camaraderie we share. (At my mid-year review, my section manager indicated that a number of comments from my co-workers reflected that "he makes the workplace fun." Never had a higher accolade than that I think.) Having to work can be a pain, doesn't mean it can't be fun at times.
Well, that's all I have for today. We'll dive back into the Sturm und Drang of the current fictional epic soon. Maybe even tomorrow. I still need to figure out who the bad guys are in all of this.
Be seeing you ...
Yah, most of those co-workers are what I missed the most when I pulled the pin, the early wake-up, the commute even as short as it was, dealing with some of the public......not so much. Tick tock....tick tock Sarge........ :)
ReplyDeleteThe clock, she is ticking.
DeleteWe had to have our dog put to sleep about 2 1/2 years ago and sometimes I still expect to see her. Especially now that I'm sort of back to work (it's an "as we need you" thing. I did 3 weeks of 3/4 time, now I'm off for a few days until things pick up again), not seeing her head pop up in the patio window when I pull into the carport was odd.
ReplyDeleteI miss some of the people - heck a lot of them aren't there anymore because of loss of contracts (customers wanted 20 year old pricing when they renegotiated - ain't gonna happen). But I don't miss the drama from the bosses.
Drama from the bosses, it's typically their own incompetence and poor planning which causes the drama. Or them telling the customer "we can do that" when in truth most of them have no idea what we can and can't do.
DeleteNope, not gonna miss that at all.
"He makes the workplace fun." There is no higher accolade in my book than that and it is something I strive for.
ReplyDeleteThe Book of Face has been dropping mostly family memories in during the brief moments I check in now (I find that especially during the political season it is a very good place to avoid, both because it spoil my serenity and there are really things I don't need to know in some cases). With much the same results as you - 9 years ago pops up and Nighean Dhonn is in fourth grade making cupcakes - Good Lord, where did the time go?
I checked my "retirement clock" yesterday as well. Sadly much farther out than I would care it to be.
It it ain't fun, why do it? (Uh, to eat, have a roof over one's head, and to pay the bills, that's why!)
DeleteWell, Sarge makes THIS place fun too. Thanks for doing that.
ReplyDeleteThis is whatever you choose it to be, not necessarily limited to daily installments of exceptionally well written fiction. So I even reading about other people's felines even though I personally abhor cats. Even tales of others' medical misadventures or ailments provide opportunities to support others in their misery, and rejoice that we have been (thus far) spared similar events.
JB
I like to think of this as a community, and it is in many ways. I enjoy interacting with the folks who stop by.
DeleteIt has added a bright spot in my life.
For the first year or so, I missed getting up at zero dark hundred: don't hafta put up with too many people driving in at that hour, just the bucks (the horny/antlered ones returning from the midnight romps), missed it like a sore tooth. Then I learned to lie back and enjoy my early morning talks with my muse, fell back to sleep and couldn't remember a danged thing when I woke up again. Then I got in the habit of whispering into a small audio recorder kept on the night table; one way or another, we become more adaptable.
ReplyDeleteMay you look forward to many years of enjoyable retirement; you're not gonna turn down those calls when they need you for special projects, RU?
No special projects. In this field, if you're not current, you're not useful.
DeleteYour muse has been busy- good long chapters recently. And what started with some domestic militia types has grown into a multi-national conflict. You may have mentioned it, but is another animal being considered?
ReplyDeleteNo more pets according to the Missus. She's concerned they'd outlive us, she also said she can't take the loss anymore. Believe me, I get that.
DeleteOn the other hand...living without a pet because you are going to die someday, is that acceptable?
DeleteI know an older gentleman (in his 80s) who's dog passed, he wasn't going to replace him. Before too long he missed what the dog did for him, the exercise with the daily walks and the company.
I got another cat a few months back.. day to day joy is worth a gamble (IMO).
You have a point, but ours is a partnership, we're both in or it doesn't fly.
DeleteA guy at work fosters the old dogs, the ones with the gray faces, which usually come from old folks who have passed away.
DeleteI got Peaches when she was 10. Today, she finally decided to allow five months old tomkitten Firecracker to be her friend.
DeleteTuna - Takes a special person to do that.
DeleteScott - saw that on FB. 👍
DeleteHave a good Friday, heck... have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteExpecting family in town, so it should be a great weekend!
DeleteEnjoy your weekend, Rob!
You writing helps keep my world fun. The bosses ... save us from them. I tried to be a leader, a coach, to inspire them. The hardest part was not telling them how to do, they had to learn to invent . Get good people what they need and get out of their way. Cheer when they're done. Enjoy the calls from them years later, thanking be for being a great boss.
ReplyDeleteThe only way to fly!
DeleteSarge,
ReplyDeleteDon't sweat the small stuff. Retirement isn't that bad, lot more freedom to do the things you like as well as the things "The Missus" asks be done. You'll do fine, heck, you might even come down and visit Texas. (I wouldn't recommend doing it right now, we had a 110 degree day earlier this week and the rest are also in triple digits.)
On a separate note, thanks for adding the vignettes category on the side bar. I've been reading this story once a week, kinda like a chapter or two in order. It just reads better for me and I can keep the who's who a bit straighter in my mind. Clicking on the Vignettes link, I get all of them in order and I just have to find where I left off, scroll down to that level and then page up when I'm moving to the next "chapter" err I mean posting.
Looking forward to the final product, so...Get Working! Just kidding!
juvat
I am starting to look forward to the day where I'm on my own schedule. Sure, I'll miss some aspects of work, but for the most part I figure I've done my time, it's time to stop and smell the roses.
DeleteNow you know why I started including labels on the posts, helps me to find things later!
Sarge, if/when you decide to visit Juvat, let me know! My brothers both live in the Houston area, and Robin is in nearby Katy. We could all have a mini-reunion! Cletus is nearby too, right?
DeleteI will let you know, yes, Cletus lives nearby.
DeleteWho are the bad guys in all this? - plenty of reprehensible characters, moral cowardice , hypocrisy, bastardized faux patriotism & toxic nationalism in all camps in my not so humble opinion - Still a very complex & interesting read with a many conundrums & unsettling options & outcomes.
ReplyDeleteLike life, it can be confusing.
DeleteI believe a keeping a true perspective, moral courage & acting in the best interest of the greater good generally resolves self induced confrontation with life's confusion & fear issues.
DeleteIt can.
Delete