This is my first day that I can say I'm retired. Even though the first day that I did not go into work was... what do ya know?: The First Day of Spring!
So, I saw a couple of my good friends here- TriciaJ and Daisy4RN- and thought I'd come hang out in this forum a bit, relate, stir things up, cause some trouble, and whatnot.
So: When did you really feel like you were retired? Nursing has been a very big part of our lives for decades and now we have to kind of let it go; a transition, a grieving process, if you will.
I haven't received my first SS check yet and I've still got a paycheck coming from Wrongway of time worked, accrued vacation, and PTO. I'm thinking when I receive my first SS check, I'll feel retired.
Probably an oft asked question on this forum, but: When did you finally feel truly retired from the nursing profession?
Due to having time to do both what I need and want to do, I got my '51 Chevy pickup back on the road!
My husband likes to work on cars and does a happy dance much like yours. And then a sad dance once it doesn't work anymore, kinda on ongoing thing with him. I am not a mechanic or anything but are you sure the problem isn't the fact that Colby is driving (no matter how cute!). Well like you said at least you have time now and hopefully will find the problem. Time until the fates step in again anyway?!
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
On 5/6/2020 at 12:11 PM, Daisy4RN said:
My husband likes to work on cars and does a happy dance much like yours. And then a sad dance once it doesn't work anymore, kinda on ongoing thing with him.
I feel his pain. Please give Hubbie my empathy and regards.
I'm still doing some job hunting, checking online every day, to see what's out there. I didn't pass the audition with Anomaly Memorial Hospital, but really wasn't too attracted to the position.
But I'm having a great time making lots & lots of progress on multiple projects. And it is so cool that I invested in some time ago and bought things that I am just now using.
For example, I broke the composite handle on my splitting maul. I found, in my garage and garden shed, another head and handle. The handle still had the metal & wood wedges still attached to it from when I bought it years ago! So, in essence, I now have a new splitting maul! There are multiple other examples...
Another is the Flextile couch Belinda wanted that cost me a pretty penny bought just over a year ago. That is one great couch! Last night, Belinda and I were sitting on that couch watching the movie "Gangster Citizen" when we had a rather good conversation:
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
@Davey Do I've been trying to determine all the twists and turns in all of this, as lately I haven't been delving as deep into the threads, but the emerging picture has caused me to feel-- a "dump truck" load of mixed emotions! Oh no, I hate that! I imagine living through it is that times exponentially more.
It sounds like you were treated like crap more than once and that makes me sad. 41 years and that is just not right. Not uncommon these days, but I suppose each phase of a long career can contain a unique trauma no less painful than the student's, "oh my god what if I kill a patient?"
So now I'll retreat to a safer zone and respond to the first post here. The idea of an endpoint to my career seems too final at present even though my options employment-wise are pretty slim-- I'm still forking over the exorbitant license fees. Perhaps my miserly nature will tip the scales, who knows?
I was thinking of putting "halfway to the pasture" on my profile, and that's about it! ?
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
12 hours ago, nursel56 said:
the emerging picture has caused me to feel-- a "dump truck" load of mixed emotions! Oh no, I hate that! I imagine living through it is that times exponentially more.
It sounds like you were treated like crap more than once and that makes me sad.
Your empathy is overwhelmingly appreciated, nursel, and it does my heart good. But please don't be sad for me, for things happened the way they were suppose to happen.
My above post, from May 6, was inspired by a sort of putting things into perspective. Very few of us get to experience life as the storybooks said, "happily ever after". In reality, we live to the best of our ability, and then we die.
A final scene from the movie, "The Commitments" gave me the perspective of poetry. The first panel in the image below states verbatim the words character Jimmy Fagan said to the disenchanted manager after the band broke up. The second panel is my interpretation of what Jimmy would say to me after I was fired:
I would like the storybook of my life to end this way:
About two weeks before I was Fired & Retired, I Goggled the word "retirement" and came up with a website that caters to retired folks.
They are a fun group and have a two year old thread titled "Coffee Corner", so I've submitted a few comics:
100% agree with the coffee. I feel like it is a life-giving fluid necessary to fuel the day. I consider it "nurse fuel". I can't decide which of the above three I like more. Honestly it is all of them.
Davey Do
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