Thursday Ramble

Making a living is best undertaken as a part of the more important business of making a life. Every now and again take a good look at something not made of hands--a mountain, a star, the turn of a stream. There will come to you wisdom and patience and solace and, above all, the assurance that you are not alone in the world. 

Sidney Lovett

I read the above yesterday and knew I had to include it in my little book of positive quotes. It made me realize just how much I have been missing.  Granted, we all have to work to make a living, but there comes a time when we have to hang up the gloves and take a good look around us. After 51 years, I am ready to hang mine up and enjoy the world. Oh, it is not that I haven't taken notice of the beauty around me.  It's just that I'm either I have no time nor energy to really envelop myself in it. I've often spoken about going to the beach or the park and just enjoying nature, but when the weekends come along, I find myself too tired to do much of anything. I have faced the fact that I can no longer do as I did in my younger days, those days when I could work all week and spend my weekends traveling here and there. In recent years, there have been weekends I don't even get out of my jammies. 

Not to mention my health issues.  During those workaholic years, I'd often go to work sick, and hubby often said, "If you die, they will just put someone else in your place."  It sounds like a cruel thing to say, but I have always been hard-headed. He HAD to find a way to make me listen. They needed me.  This had to be done, or that had to be done, and no one else could do it like me.  Or, so and so was coming for their individual session, and they were going through something.  I had to be there for them. And then, when I left that job, I also left them with over 150 sick hours that I never took.  And, to add to the insult, they were ANGRY with me because they HAD TO PAY ME FIVE WEEKS VACATION AND COULDN'T HIRE ANYONE IN PLACE UNTIL THAT FIVE WEEKS WAS OVER. That's the thanks you get for being such a loyal employee.

As for my retirement plans, they are heading in the right direction as I continue to take it one step at a time. I want everything set in place.  I've contacted and received the necessary letter from my old job and have called the union.  A pension application is on its way.  If my figuring is right, I should be getting more from my pension than I had planned on, but I've learned not to count on things until they are in writing.  My applications for Social Security and Medicare are filled out and ready to go, and I've downloaded an application for a special New York Insurance plan for the elderly that will help alleviate some of the monies I would have to lay out for medical and prescriptions.  And since I pay gas and electric, I've downloaded a form for HEAP, a program that will send some money to offset utility bills. I've already received and been using my half-price fare card, and I already see the savings. There are so many other things I have to look into as well.

When I was in my 20's I took a course in ceramics and absolutely loved it. I'd love to do that again.  I also want to take a walk over to the senior center and see what they have to offer.  Then there is a program that will subsidize your rent increases so that your rent remains the same.  And food stamps to apply for.  I'm going to take all the help I can get to make it a comfortable retirement.  I've paid my dues and then some.

And with that, I bid you all a wonderful day.