Saturday, January 03, 2009

Thirty Years And Counting

Amazingly enough, yesterday, January 2nd, I completed thirty years of employment with the US Postal Service. I always said when that day arrived, I would hang it up, retire, and move on to something else.

However, now that the time has arrived and that day has passed, I'm still at my job, still going to work each and everyday, and at present, I can't seem to think of what date I might eventually hang it up.

I love my job, my customers are very important to me, and I know as sure as I'm sitting here, that when the day does come and I do decide to retire, there's a lot of those customers, who over the years are more than customers to me, I know that I'll probably never see a lot of them ever again.

I'm not ready for that to happen.

At least not yet.

Someone once told me that my life was pretty much a Mayberry sort of existence, and even though that was meant as a put down, I considered it one of the greatest compliments I have ever received. I think we all need a little bit of Mayberry in our lives, each and everyday. If that is what my life has been perceived to be by someone, so be it.

I'm happy here, I'm content here, and I don't ever plan on being anywhere else.

So for now, I'm staying with my job, I'm going to continue to try and give my customers the best service I possibly can each and everyday, and I'm going to continue to love clocking in and doing what I've been doing for the past three decades.

I'm going to continue being right here in Mayberry.

4 comments:

Tracy Flynn Art said...

Charlie my friend, I for one am grateful for you being there in your job, and the way you handle it. I will hate the day when you do retire, but for now your being there at the window makes every trip I make into the PO a pleasent one, and am to a certain degree dissapointed on those days that I don't get to say hey.

I tell Dana that this is "our" little Mayberry and I would not want it any other way.

Thanks

Tracy

RainbowDemon1952 said...

My thoughts exactly, Tracy. Seems like lots of thoughts and fantasies can run thru our heads sometimes making us think there are other pastures that offer a greener outlook, but when all is said and done, I will settle for my little humdrum world here in Mayberry and realize just what a total paradise we have here and take for granted sometimes. I wouldn't have this world of ours here any other way. Thanks for the kind comments, and I hope for the next couple of years, at least, you can still see me standing behind that counter and doing what I love to do.
Peace, my friend!
Charlie

ryseja said...

I haven't lived in your town for several years, but if I could find a good secure job there I would seriously consider returning. I would love to raise my kids the way I was raised.

And you better stay at that job. Once in a blue moon I pass through and 2 or 3 times I stopped by the PO and you must have been off that day or maybe on a break. Gonna have to try it again someday....

RainbowDemon1952 said...

Not planning on going anywhere for at least the next couple of years, I assure you. Hell, I can't until I find out who you are and if I stick around long enough that must might happen. Thanks for the kind comments.
Charlie