'Twas the weeks before Christmas in 2009,
All the people were stirring,
in search of a dime;
A dime, a nickel, even a dollar;
'cause it was time to partake in Christmas delights;
Yes, it was time to buy presents,
buy trees and buy lights!
Into the stores and on to the web,
they search frantically for coupons and discounts and mark downs galore;
Where can I spend less?
And get so much more?
The year had not be pleasant you know;
There had been the reduction of jobs and bills piling up;
But December had come, and their heads were held high;
And with eyes all aglow,
Off to the mall they went, still praying for snow;
They must have Christmas;
They must have the Christmas they know.
The department store Santa has lost lots of weight,
The little ones are perplexed by this trait.
I spy him texting and tweeting and hear his phone jingle;
It’s not something we normally see from “the Kringle”
And then I hear him tell a young boy on his knee,
“I’ll get you your toy, yes I will my young lad,
but you must do something for me;
Yes, yes, you must give to your dad my latest CV."
The Santa, you see, had once been a boss,
A Senior VP at Gardner and Ross.
The business had fallen way behind plan,
And now he needed to find new employment;
He must do something to improve his family’s enjoyment.
The year of ’09 has not been plentiful;
Jobs disappeared and the stocks tumbled.
Princes and paupers alike, found themselves dining in candlelight.
No money to pay the energy bills, they found other ways to enjoy and delight.
More time to spend with family and friends,
Getting back to nature and making amends.
Finding repose in the strangest of places.
Why, some even found it on their children's faces.
The meal may be lighter;
The glass less full;
The presents may be less,
But, we will all still gather and bless:
Bless the time we have,
Bless the people we love,
Bless the faith we foster and
The strength we command. ..
And share a very Merry Christmas across the land.
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Post Career Occupation
With the economy and job market in its spiral, not knowing if it's going back up or down, I am rethinking my "retirement plan."
After spending thirty plus years building a career and a bank account, I woke up one morning to find them both gone. Well, not completely; the memory lingers. But the substance of both is fading away. I have spent these many years "living to work". I was my career. I never thought about retirement. I never imagined myself not working; at something. And, the work didn't necessarily mean making money.
I was a "cheap date". My employers really did get more than they were paying for. I know that now and I am perfectly fine with that. I am willing to do the same again, in my retirement.
That's right - retirement. I contend that the "new retirement" is "working to live" and not the other way around. Since I have to keep working through, into and around retirement (until that final retirement we call death), I am going to do something that I love and that I love everyday. It will be a job; not a career; it will be my avocation; it will be fun and fulfilling.
It will be something I can be passionate about while I'm doing it, but not so consuming that I can't leave it at the door. It will be something that will provide me with a steady income, but not bonuses upon bonuses that will keep me tethered to the office. It will be something that gives me repletion, but not something that sucks the life out of me. In my retirement, the company store no longer owns my soul.
Do you know how my friend Webster defines retirement? Being retired: withdrawing from work or business because of advanced age; drawing back from contact with others; being in a place of privacy or seclusion; to withdraw from use. As any "old geezer" would say: poppycock! That was never the plan!
The "retirement plan" included increased time for leisure activities with family and friends; meeting new people; seeing new places; taking up art or music and reading that stack of books. Does that sound like being withdrawn from use? There's work to be done and we have the experience and knowledge to do it.
I am not entering retirement any time soon. I am entering my "post career occupation".
After spending thirty plus years building a career and a bank account, I woke up one morning to find them both gone. Well, not completely; the memory lingers. But the substance of both is fading away. I have spent these many years "living to work". I was my career. I never thought about retirement. I never imagined myself not working; at something. And, the work didn't necessarily mean making money.
I was a "cheap date". My employers really did get more than they were paying for. I know that now and I am perfectly fine with that. I am willing to do the same again, in my retirement.
That's right - retirement. I contend that the "new retirement" is "working to live" and not the other way around. Since I have to keep working through, into and around retirement (until that final retirement we call death), I am going to do something that I love and that I love everyday. It will be a job; not a career; it will be my avocation; it will be fun and fulfilling.
It will be something I can be passionate about while I'm doing it, but not so consuming that I can't leave it at the door. It will be something that will provide me with a steady income, but not bonuses upon bonuses that will keep me tethered to the office. It will be something that gives me repletion, but not something that sucks the life out of me. In my retirement, the company store no longer owns my soul.
Do you know how my friend Webster defines retirement? Being retired: withdrawing from work or business because of advanced age; drawing back from contact with others; being in a place of privacy or seclusion; to withdraw from use. As any "old geezer" would say: poppycock! That was never the plan!
The "retirement plan" included increased time for leisure activities with family and friends; meeting new people; seeing new places; taking up art or music and reading that stack of books. Does that sound like being withdrawn from use? There's work to be done and we have the experience and knowledge to do it.
I am not entering retirement any time soon. I am entering my "post career occupation".
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Long Lines: An Economic Observation
I made some "economic" observations yesterday. I was running errands and had a number of stops to make: Target, PetSmart, pick-up prescriptions, grocery shopping, ATM, make-up at the department store and a quick stop for Starbucks.
Target was pretty empty. I not sure if it was because I was there at mid-day or because it was the day after Labor Day or if it's because the kids have gone back to school. In any case, I breezed through, found an open register and was out of there in 20 minutes.
The same was true in the department store and PetSmart; no one in line at the Starbucks either. In and out; get what I needed and I was on to the next errand. The joys of discretionary spending.
Now, the rest of the errands were a different story. The line at that drive-thru ATM was eight cars deep. I guess we all needed funds after the long weekend. The cars weren't zipping through as usual; each of the transaction seemed to be "thoughtful". I know I changed my mind at least three times while waiting: how much do I want to withdraw?
The line to pick-up prescription was about ten deep. In line were some elderly, people with crying children and those who were visibly "not well". All were complaining about the line. I know the pharmacy had recently changed it's computer system, but that wasn't really the problem. The clerk explained that they had also experienced some "right sizing"; they added pharmacists, but reduced the tech and clerk staff. So, we have more pharmacists moving at the speed of light to keep up with the demands and less staff to pass the product on to the end user. A recessionary evil; not to mention that we are probably an over-medicated society.
The grocery store was buzzing. People running into each other with their carts, blocking lanes and making serious decisions over brand names versus generic. The bread aisle was being restocked and the shoppers were taking the bread off the stock boy's cart. The bulk sale aisle was full of people taking advantage of the "10 for $10" sale. I only had a few things to get, so I maneuvered through the masses, picked up my five items and went to check out. You would have thought it was the evening before Thanksgiving. They had seven registers open including the express lane and the U-scan. Lines formed behind each lane. The U-scan lane, which I chose, had at least twelve people in line and we were snaking out down the seasonal products aisle (which already has Halloween candy and costumes - yikes!). No one, in any lane, had a lot of items; there were just a lot of shoppers and fewer clerks to check them out. All of the managers were manning registers.
These lines are also a recessionary evil. Fewer employees to serve the customers; and those fewer employees are dealing with a heavier work load. No one complains because this is the sign of the times. We are literally standing in "bread lines."
On my drive back to the house I noted yet another business closed down. I started rambling off the names of local establishments that have fallen prey to the economy. My sister, who was accompanying me, chided me for being "such a pessimist". I retorted that I was "a realist". Pessimist, realist or optimist, we are all standing in more and more lines.
Lines for groceries; lines for medicine; lines for unemployment benefits; lines at job fairs; lines at clinics; lines at gas stations; lines at the "dollar store" and discount emporiums.
When a line forms, I ask myself, do I really "need" this item? Do I want to "stimulate the economy" or do I want to save my time and money? And so the cycle continues, I don't stand in line, I don't spend the money and the retailer cuts back on staff and then I have to stand in line the next time I go. Or are the long lines a sign of recovery? I will believe that when I have to stand in line to buy lingerie.
Remember, the line forms in the rear and we're all frustrated.
Target was pretty empty. I not sure if it was because I was there at mid-day or because it was the day after Labor Day or if it's because the kids have gone back to school. In any case, I breezed through, found an open register and was out of there in 20 minutes.
The same was true in the department store and PetSmart; no one in line at the Starbucks either. In and out; get what I needed and I was on to the next errand. The joys of discretionary spending.
Now, the rest of the errands were a different story. The line at that drive-thru ATM was eight cars deep. I guess we all needed funds after the long weekend. The cars weren't zipping through as usual; each of the transaction seemed to be "thoughtful". I know I changed my mind at least three times while waiting: how much do I want to withdraw?
The line to pick-up prescription was about ten deep. In line were some elderly, people with crying children and those who were visibly "not well". All were complaining about the line. I know the pharmacy had recently changed it's computer system, but that wasn't really the problem. The clerk explained that they had also experienced some "right sizing"; they added pharmacists, but reduced the tech and clerk staff. So, we have more pharmacists moving at the speed of light to keep up with the demands and less staff to pass the product on to the end user. A recessionary evil; not to mention that we are probably an over-medicated society.
The grocery store was buzzing. People running into each other with their carts, blocking lanes and making serious decisions over brand names versus generic. The bread aisle was being restocked and the shoppers were taking the bread off the stock boy's cart. The bulk sale aisle was full of people taking advantage of the "10 for $10" sale. I only had a few things to get, so I maneuvered through the masses, picked up my five items and went to check out. You would have thought it was the evening before Thanksgiving. They had seven registers open including the express lane and the U-scan. Lines formed behind each lane. The U-scan lane, which I chose, had at least twelve people in line and we were snaking out down the seasonal products aisle (which already has Halloween candy and costumes - yikes!). No one, in any lane, had a lot of items; there were just a lot of shoppers and fewer clerks to check them out. All of the managers were manning registers.
These lines are also a recessionary evil. Fewer employees to serve the customers; and those fewer employees are dealing with a heavier work load. No one complains because this is the sign of the times. We are literally standing in "bread lines."
On my drive back to the house I noted yet another business closed down. I started rambling off the names of local establishments that have fallen prey to the economy. My sister, who was accompanying me, chided me for being "such a pessimist". I retorted that I was "a realist". Pessimist, realist or optimist, we are all standing in more and more lines.
Lines for groceries; lines for medicine; lines for unemployment benefits; lines at job fairs; lines at clinics; lines at gas stations; lines at the "dollar store" and discount emporiums.
When a line forms, I ask myself, do I really "need" this item? Do I want to "stimulate the economy" or do I want to save my time and money? And so the cycle continues, I don't stand in line, I don't spend the money and the retailer cuts back on staff and then I have to stand in line the next time I go. Or are the long lines a sign of recovery? I will believe that when I have to stand in line to buy lingerie.
Remember, the line forms in the rear and we're all frustrated.
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