Let’s see…. 33 years ago, there were no iPods, iPads, or even CDs. We are talking 1978. You really didn’t see many “personal” computers because they were all huge, air-conditioned machines with dumb terminals attached…yes, by wires! Remember Simon, the game? Or how about an Apple II computer costing $3,000? The first cellular phone was introduced but the Fax machine would not show up until the following year. Space Wars video game was just catching fire. Why all this nostalgia?
I was flying from Denver last night and the pilot came on the intercom and welcomed everyone to the flight. He said we had a very special person on board, Steve, one of our flight attendants who was retiring and this was to be his last flight. After 33 years, he was folding his wings. Later, while serving us drinks, he tapped the person next to me, who was listening to his iPod, and said, “33 years ago, we didn’t have to tell people to turn those off”. We laughed and started talking about everything that has occurred since then.
In 1978, I was a Registered Respiratory Therapist, specializing in Neonatal and Pediatric care. I made $12/hour and was told the maximum I could make was $15/hour. I saved many lives back then in the ER and ICU. I crafted ventilators out of tubing, jugs of water (water pressure), and oxygen. I transported newborns and even scrubbed up for surgery because there was no Anesthesiologist available for an emergency cranial operation. I worked on gunshot cases, motorcycle crash cases and even an “unexpected” delivery in our ER restroom (her mother said it couldn’t be, she just had the flu!).
I know I had to make a change to support a family and offer us a better future so I went back to college and changed professions to computer science or IT. I took a job at Boeing and had to take a dollar less per hour but that was just for a short time. I quickly made that back and started climbing in job and pay. I look back now a wish I was still working in respiratory therapy but I cannot complain about where that decision, and many others, have taken me.
As I spoke with my seat mate on the plane, we shared the concept of retirement. He, 15 years away, and I, 2 years. He agreed that retirement was different these days….more a life change. He told me he knew about people who didn’t know how to make the change or just couldn’t. He shared a great story about a professor he once had who showed up for class wearing plaid shorts, tie-died shirt and flip-flops; you know, thongs. The class thought this as strange and he announced that he was thinking about retiring. Someone posed the question of when. The professor answered, “when I have 2 bad days in a row!”. What a great line! I will retire when I have 2 bad days in a row….. just the thought of going to work, knowing you don’t have to be there….enought to make me smile and turn up my Bee Gees album.
A Voyage To Retirement 