Where does the time go? It’s hard to fathom that this newly married couple has become seasoned travel veterans. Back in 1981, our lives were changing rapidly. I began my career in flexible packaging in January. September brought our wedding, and before long, we started a family. Now, more than four decades down the road, we are moving into a new phase of life, retirement. How fitting is it that Crystal chose “Our Changing Lives” for our blog?
A Long Career
When I started with the company, I was employee number 8. The business was housed in a small space in the Fairfax District of Kansas City, Kansas. We moved to a new site just a few miles down the road in 1985. I remember how we rushed to move before we even sealed the floors. Our numbers were small in those days, but the company leader had a vision to grow. It seemed like we were always shorthanded, but I was happy to accept all of the overtime work available. I remember averaging over 80 hours per week for years in a row.
Unexpected Accolades
My willingness to go above and beyond helped me advance through the company. When the company was purchased at the start of the 2000s, it opened an opportunity for me to move out of production and into the office. My “work first” mentality earned me a reputation as hard-nosed, but it was what the company needed to move forward. Sometimes I was challenging to work with, but I always kept the end goal of retirement in mind. I knew the only person putting money in our household was me, so I was driven to earn as much as possible. At one point, I had earned the moniker of “The General”.
Sweet Surprises
In 2009, I was offered the position of Estimator. Up until that point, there had not been a centralized pricing scheme. Here again, my tenacious approach paid off. As the company flourished, we all reaped the rewards. After 15 more years, I could feel my work time ending. I had burned bright for over 42 years, but my passion for the industry was waning. Our Changing Lives had already been up and running for almost eight years, and I could feel it drawing me to become a full-time blogger. Parting after a long career is frightening and exhilarating at the same time. Crystal and I spent a couple of months preparing for retirement, as it is not something to be entered into on a whim.
Parting Pleasantries
Deciding to change industries is never easy, especially when you’ve been in the same one for four decades. I had a lot of support from my coworkers and the company executives. They clarified that I could stay as long as I wanted, but the years had caught up with me. After I gave them my notice of departure, the countdown began in earnest. As my “final day” drew nearer, I contracted what Crystal calls “senioritis”. Cross-training my replacements kept my mind occupied at work. Those hours away from the office, I would contemplate life on the outside.
Heading into Our Changing Lives
For years, I immersed myself in my job, which consumed me. Crystal and I found ourselves once again facing the reality of Our Changing Lives. This new chapter has reenergized me, and I can’t wait to see what it holds. For decades, we have dreamed of seeing more of North America. This winter, we will spend time planning our blog’s future direction. We know it will have lots of family-friendly places to see. We also plan on sharing more of the personal side to show that there is plenty of life after retirement.
I worked 48 years as journalist and then an advocate (lobbyist) for local governments. After 18 years at the Unified Government, I retired at age 65. Two days later I launched my own Government relations firm named StrategyConsultants. I’m as busy as ever. And that’s good because boredom and having no mission would be very bad for me.
We can certainly relate. Retirement doesn’t have to be resigned to inactivity. It’s the reward of doing what you want after years of doing what you had to do.