One Week

 Today marks my first week of retirement. 

So far it's similar to having a week off of vacation. I did catch myself more than once remembering to wash my uniforms only to remember once again...I didn't have to anymore.

I know that eventually I'll have deal with increasing my income, which again I've prepared for since 2015 through higher education. But for now, I'm content and at peace with my decision. I know that the same stuff at work is happening right now and even if those players were gone, it'd be happening to someone else but it'd be the same stuff. The same problems, the same everything. 

I didn't come back right away and write out this post because I wanted time to assimilate into this new life. I need to feel out what I'm doing, grow in this new found free time. I need to just exist for a while and let things be. 

Made coffee this morning, the past few mornings I've made hot tea but today felt very coffeey. Right now I'm just being still and letting things happen. 

Retirement Day

 Today is the day!

Yeah, Friday was my final full day and all but today is the official last day! I had lots of people show up (Including Thing 1, Thing 2 had been exposed to Covid and chose to be safe) to the Blue Note Friday night and had a great time! 

Today is the end of my career though. I go in for a few hours, clean out my locker, sign my final papers, and say my goodbyes! 

The place I've manned for 30 years is not my place anymore. You all know the story and why I've done this so I probably don't have to rehash it here in this post. 

A new world opens today. The possibilities are endless and they start today!

My Final Friday

 Yes, the time has finally come. This is my final Friday and I'm pretty happy!

Tonight is my retirement get together at The Blue Note and I've waited for this day for years now. Tuesday is my official last day. I go in and out process, clean out my locker, walk around and say my goodbyes. 

When we first found out about the changes in the pension system and how it was ending in its current form, I resigned myself to working until I was 67. Then we had the individual meetings with the pension reps and I learned I was eligible. I'm sure I blogged about that before. 

So this is the best case scenario for me in a "Plan B" situation. "Plan A" was to retire next year after my house was paid off so since that was off the table, I scrambled and prepared myself to leave this year. Hard choices had to be made but I feel I've made the best decisions I could make with the information I had at the time. 

I've prepared as well as I can prepare, arming myself with 1 degree and another one nearly finished. 

I've gotten myself in a good financial position. 

I've got a plan to apply my degrees. 

Now before that happens, I take 90 days to rest. I get used to my new life, build a new routine. 

I'm ready. Yes I'm absolutely nervous, anxious, and afraid of the unknown. But I'm also feeling great about the future. I'm ready for all of the possibility and promise yet to come. I'm as ready as I can be to get my future started.

4 Days Left

 It's a bit after 5:30 this morning and I've already made taco salad and that'll last me a couple of days of great eating! Love me some taco salad! Today will be my final Wednesday at the base. Every Wednesday at noon they run a test of the emergency sirens and it sounds like a tsunami siren. It's got that "whoop" rather than a standard Oklahoma tornado siren. 

Today is it! The last time I'll be at work for that test. I'm good with that. My anxiety is fading away, my excitement is growing!

I'm feeling the excitement that I felt a year ago. I mean it's really easy to feel excited about things that are life changing but still a long ways away. When it gets close then you start to get a bit nervous, then anxious, and then anxiety ridden but I've sucked it up and getting through it. If nothing else I can deal with adversity without melting down.

It's good right now, it'll be good tomorrow, it'll be good next week, and good a year from now.

Day 6 Is Done

 There are personnel changes going on at work now. My replacement won't be in the shop for maybe another month but that triggered other moves as one person with no seniority will get bumped to nights and one on nights will exercise his seniority to move to days. On a temporary basis, until my replacement comes into the shop, the guy on nights will be working in my place on days until that happens.

Yes, I have to drive on base five more times now. October 12th is fast approaching and again I'm filled with mixed emotions on everything. For a fact I know I'm making the right decision. I've put in the time and effort to prepare for this as well as I can. I also know I can't work there until I'm 65, it'll kill my spirit so much that I'll be a shadow of a man before long. 

I've always been an individualist, depending on myself rather than on others unless I have no other choice. This is a true test of my belief I've held since I was a kid, I will be depending on myself now rather than a fairly secure job for my income. 

I have the qualifications, the drive, the education, and the experience to make this happen. Make what happen? Well, that's up in the air right now! But in the next few months I'm going to flesh it out and define the business plan. I guess you could say that's part of the fun!

Last Week of Work

 I just put in my last load of work clothes in the washer. Been wearing uniforms at work for 30 years and my new uniform will be whatever I want to wear. The past week has been filled with a lot of people telling me how lucky I am. How they'd change places with me if they could. 

I don't feel lucky right this moment but I know I will in a year from now. I've got to work through creating a new routine as I've mentioned lots of times. Creature of habit. 

I've been emotionally distancing myself from my work routine for the past few weeks. Changing up my routine a little bit at a time. Driving to work or from work a bit differently each day. Making things feel different, a little bit here and there. There will be some where I work that'll be happy I am gone, others will miss me. Nothing unusual about that, it's like that every place where you work. You'll get along with some, others you won't.

The difference is that October 13th I won't have to deal with that anymore. It brings a certain amount of stress with the job and it'll be over with. All of the union issues that come with the job, the dramas that play out between management and the workers will be a distant memory for me. I do plan on staying on as a retiree union member. It's important for the future of the union and my friends that work there. 

I've got to clean out my locker this week, sort through whatever is there. Throw everything else away.