Ohhhhhh, I'm Halfway there....
As the days and years go by, a song gets in my head, connecting right now to another day. Jon Bon Jovi, singing, Livin on a Prayer, is one of those songs. I might be halfway to work, or halfway through the work day.
To be aware that a task or journey is halfway over, must be an upper mammal thing. The bonus idea, Livin on a Prayer, takes it to a higher level. It's a pretty good way to live life. We could do much worse.
Here is a youtube link to Livin On A Prayer, from 1987...
and the band, Bon Jovi.
The first line is..."Tommy used to work on the docks..."
In June 2017, at age 52, I went to work at the Franklin County Farmer's Co-op. My hope is to be here till I retire. That's a 13 year commitment. If I make it, it will be the longest I've been at one job.
Like "Tommy" I am in the warehouse, and among other things, "working on the docks."
As of January, 2024, I am halfway there! My target retirement date is September, 2030.
Maybe that's not a big deal. Maybe it is. I do best when there is a goal, no matter how serious, or silly. Gives me something to focus on, when nothing else makes much sense.
Many of you have been at one job twenty or thirty years. My hat is off to you! For reasons that I can't always explain, that has not been my experience.
My different jobs / careers so far are, ...10 years - Kraft Foods, 2 years - Lehigh Safety Shoes, 10 years - Respond First Aid, 10 years - Universal Family Care, and now 6 and a half years and counting here at the Co-op.
A week or so after I got here, I made this spreadsheet. The months are checked off, tracking progress, and time. There is a pleasure and satisfaction in that.
The first big goal was September 2020, the 25% mark. Now January, 2024, the 50% point, has also passed. The next big goal is, the 75% mark, in May of 2027.
The toughest part is ahead. I know this from doing several 100 mile bike rides. Somewhere around mile 65 or 70, fatigue, weariness, and self doubt all creep in. The excitement of the ride is long gone. The finish - nowhere in sight. The physical part is there. The mind has to push the body to just keep mashing the pedals, and not think too much.
Jason, Brad, Jeff, and I rode our bikes a lot of miles together. With friends you can do more than you can alone. It's still an individual effort, but on the longest rides, it sure helped to have some buddys there. Each time, we all got through it. Still, at mile 65 or so, it gets real.
So I have no illusions that the next 6 and a half years here will go quickly, or perfectly. As far as work goes, I'm headed for that 65 mile mark, where the fatigue, and doubts creep in.
Terri and I are trying to do things at nights and on the weekends that are out of our normal routine. We imagine this time of our working lives as, the very early stages of a retirement. It's a state of mind. Things and places that have nothing to do with work. We look forward to seeing some high school basketball games, home and away. We are trying to spend more time with her family in West Tennessee. And most importantly, spend more time with Will, and Karen and her family, and Robin and her family. Whenever their schedules make sense for that.
If you are not halfway though something, its time to start a new project, hobby, or passion. Get back to something you day dream about.
Bon Jovi had it right. " Take my hand and we'll make it I swear." Sure you could go it alone, but it is better together.
Tommy (in the song) had Gina. I'm fortunate to have Mrs. Terri. Since July, 1988, we have been married, and Makin' it Bon Jovi style.
Stop by and see me here at work. I'll be out on the dock, for at least another six years or so. You might hear me whistling, or singing an old Bon Jovi song.