Friday, February 27, 2009

It's All About Me

I am recently retired. Underscore retired, remove the “ret” and replace with “F”—Laid off, downsized, right-sized, whatever. I’m not bitter.

I started in Portland working for Pacific Northwest Bell, moved to Seattle about the same time they changed the name to U S West. When I moved to Omaha, the name changed to Qwest. After that, the CEO, Joseph Nacchio, and his gang raped the retirement fund and laid me off along with thousands of others. I’m happy to say, the man is now in prison.

All of that took thirty-one years of my life. That’s a chunk of change, so I certainly can’t trivialize it by not mentioning it. That would erase those untold hours in my life as insipid, which they were, actually.

It’s the few waking hours away from work that define me. My husband, my daughter and son who have given me five grandchildren between them, the many friends I’ve encountered through the years, some only memories now, others with me for life. In addition, the lessons, and mistakes I’ve enjoyed have pooled to enrich my life.
Why am I blogging? I love to write and I want to share my journey with you. It’s a journey that lay dormant in me for, dare I say, fifty-five years. I’m going to enjoy the trip.

I am recently retired. Underscore retired, remove the “ret” and replace with “F”—Laid off, downsized, right-sized, whatever. I’m not bitter.

I started in Portland working for Pacific Northwest Bell, moved to Seattle about the same time they changed the name to U S West. When I moved to Omaha, the name changed to Qwest. After that, the CEO, Joseph Nacchio, and his gang raped the retirement fund and laid me off along with thousands of others. I’m happy to say, the man is now in prison.

All of that took thirty-one years of my life. That’s a chunk of change, so I certainly can’t trivialize it by not mentioning it. That would erase those untold hours in my life as insipid, which they were, actually.

It’s the few waking hours away from work that define me. My husband, my daughter and son who have given me five grandchildren between them, the many friends I’ve encountered through the years, some only memories now, others with me for life. In addition, the lessons, and mistakes I’ve enjoyed have pooled to enrich my life.
Why am I blogging? I love to write and I want to share my journey with you. It’s a journey that lay dormant in me for, dare I say, fifty-five years. I’m going to enjoy the trip.

2 comments:

  1. It's so wonderful learning about you, Elizabeth. Although for some reason your information posted twice.

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  2. Well, well, well. A kindred spirit. I'm also "semi-retired" which means they've sent me out to pasture but I still have to work to afford the luxury! I also wrote many years but only recently "discovered" that I enjoy (and maybe am good at) writing fiction.

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