Warm Feeling

Every now and then I go back to work, just to see what it is that I am missing. I kind of enjoy it for the most part.

I will generally wake up relatively early, but there is a difference between waking up to see what wonders the new day has in store for you, and waking up and getting ready to go to work. For those of you that aren’t retired yet, you will have to take my word for it and those that are retired know what I am talking about. I will admit to a kind of excited anticipation on the first day, but today was the second day and I was pretty much going through the motions. I can’t imagine how I will be dragging my ass by the end of the second week.

It is really nice to see the people that I used to work with again. It is fun to catch up on how their lives are and how the changes that have been instituted at the Post Office have affected the quality of their lives. For the most part, they just accept the changes and work with the system to get through the day in an efficient and timely fashion. Oh sure, there is grumbling, but that is just the way of the world. If you aren’t complaining then chances are that you aren’t breathing.

They seem to be interested in how and what I have been doing since I retired and if I am indeed enjoying myself. Some of my friends that are approaching retirement have questions about what I do to fill the days and if I am happy. I think what they are most concerned with is if the pension is enough to live on. They seem relieved when I tell them that yes, they will be quite comfortable. I tell them that everyone is different and once retired they will find a path that suits them. Sometimes, getting another job, whether it is for the money or people contact is the right thing to do. Some love to travel and others immerse themselves in their hobbies. I tell them that the worst thing you can do is nothing.

Today was kind of a snowy, unpleasant day and I wasn’t at all nostalgic about going out and delivering the mail. There was a grim determination in the eyes of the carriers as they prepared to go out and deliver the mail. "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." That is the US Post Office creed, but it applies here too. I used to joke that the Canadian postal creed was “We just don’t give a damn!”

When I started to write this I was thinking how nice it is to go back and find that everyone seemed to like me. It is nice to believe that you had a positive influence on the people that you worked with and that they did indeed enjoy your being there. It kind of gave me a warm feeling. Just now, it occurred to me that the people that didn’t like me when I was working wouldn’t be bothered to come and say hi. They probably look at me and think to themselves “ What is that useless old fart doing back here? I thought (hoped) he was dead.”

I am glad to get reacquainted with the people that like me and the ones that don’t…Well they can go fuck a duck!