The Golden Years

When I used to think of people reaching their Golden Years, I had always envisioned a time when they could relax and enjoy life without all the hustle and bustle of the modern world. After all, for years, they worked hard at raising the kids, going to work, putting food on the table and countless other things. So, a ride into the sunset of retirement is well deserved…..

However, I’m noticing more and more senior citizens are remaining in the workplace. I’m sure there are many contributing factors (the need for health insurance, lack of retirement savings, etc.). Honestly, it’s quite troubling to me. It’s really heartbreaking to see a seventy-five year old woman flipping burgers at the local McDonalds.

Just the other day, I entered an office building in downtown Baltimore. As I approached the “security” desk, I noticed a little old lady who appeared to be about eighty years old. The ironic part is that she was wearing security guard uniform. Let’s be honest, what was this great-grandmother really going to “secure”? First off, I can’t imagine why this elderly woman would still be working at her age. But more concerning……… whose bright idea was it to give her a job as a security guard?

I’ll have to admit though, she was fiery. As I was waiting for my contact to arrive, in her heavy southern drawl, she gave me the lowdown on all of the “assholes” (her word, not mine) in the building. It was classic and she definitely brought a smile to my face.

I also remember an old government employee (I’ll call him Ulysses) who used to escort the contractors into the building. Calling this guy old is actually an understatement. I’m not sure of his exact age, but he could have quite possibly fought in the Civil War.

Whenever I went into this particular building, the front guard desk would always have to call for an escort. I would hope and pray that they didn’t call for Ulysses. Not that I had anything against the man, but a dead turtle could move faster than this guy! I knew my whole day would be tied up waiting for him to make his way down from the fifth floor.

After an hour or so, Ulysses would finally make his appearance. He would sign me in and the two of would begin the endless mile back up to the fifth floor. Not surprising, the walk gave us plenty of time to exchange everything thing that we knew about life. One time, I asked him, “So Ulysses, when are you going to retire?”

He said, “Why would I want to retire? All my friends and family are dead.”

Every morning, when this poor guy woke up, all he had to look forward to was his boring, monotonous job. It was quite depressing……

I don’t know what to make of all of this. I only hope that one day when and if I’m able to retire, I’ll be riding those golden years into the sunset with my toes in the water and ass in the sand………

KW