Things I’ve learned
Live long enough, you come to know some things
Younger folks listen, sometimes in awe
I don’t consider it wisdom
Just lore
Experience
Mistakes
And enjoy sharing
Anyway, feel free to submit any personal offerings you aged people care to share
Here’s something I wrote about awhile back (hope I didn’t already post it here…)
I have a bit of a flash temper (you? Gary? a thin skinned Irish buzzard?)
Yep
Back when I toiled for others, I ran into situations with the finer forms of humanity.
Wimin in bizniss.
Aggressive, mean but polite, ornery, devious, conniving, scheming, jealous, tricky, shrewd, wimin.
…and that was just the cleaning lady.
Before I got bumped into upper management, never knew what went on in some lady’s minds.
Seemed nice, cordial, pretty, fit, a tad amatory in regard to attire of choice.
They were very good with what they did.
Puzzled me they could devote so much time to conniving and yet do such a commendable job with their departments.
And, man, cut ya down in a heartbeat, think nothing of it.
I pretty much settled in to their step-n-fetch-it guy.
Survival.
But
There were times
Planning meetings
Closed conference rooms
You could feel the electricity
their targets were each other
the stare...daggers across the conference table
Get between ‘em and you’d be zapped, turned to a quivering mass of goo, something to be mopped up and flushed.
They’d even join forces to accomplish that, then go back to efficiently plotting each other’s demise.
I was there to cut that potential electrical storm with humor
Not easy
At times I became their target
I’m not a guy that dwells on things
Guys are like that
Git mad at someone, have it out, done, over.
But,
with these ladies, they caused me to think, even dream up certain scenarios.
I’d find myself, on the way to work, thinking up snappy comebacks.
Never came to fruition, but, somehow gratifying.
However
Even if one was successful in the upbraiding dept, they’d pull out their ultimate weapon...crying.
I was culling some scrap wire in the warehouse.
Left over garbage from an auction lot.
Wasn’t even in inventory.
The QAM came running at me.
‘You can’t just scrap that without getting approval!’
‘Nothing is scrap unless I say it is!’
Got all in my face
Started thumping my chest
I focused on her finger, thumping as she blathered
Something welled within
Took the ten pound spool of unusable wire
Raised it high
And smashed it on the warehouse floor with as much force as I could muster
‘Now! It’s scrap!!’
(felt like Moses)
She ran off, locked herself in her office.
You could hear her in there, crying.
‘bout then the prez came thru the front door
Whistling a joyful tune
Holding a happy meal breakfast in a bag
Got some coffee
Asked how things were going
Heh
I so love retirement
oh, what I've learned?
retirement
is so worth working for
