I just finished lunch with my ex-co-workers. It was nice to be invited along and it was also good to see them again. Not all of my ex’s were there but those that were expressed the appropriate amount of interest in my life and what I was up to. Now that sounds cynical doesn’t it?
I don’t mean it sound that way, or perhaps I do on some subconscious level. Old habits die hard and in fact we talked a bit about that over lunch. Someone commented on the upcoming union negotiations and I piped up “Just wait until they get to staff”. You see I was on staff, before I retired, and my crystal ball frequently told me the company would come gunning for us soon too. Sadly it happened. I just left before the brunt of the changes will come.
My cynicism, however obvious, often turned out to be accurate. What also seemed to be obvious (at least to me) was the way some of the management put me down to being “not a team player”, or just a plain “whiner”. There may be elements of the truth to both those concepts, just being honest.
At any rate enough of the rant, it wasn’t my purpose here to complain or vent, it’s just another one of those things that when you open the door you never know what will come out. I enjoyed my lunch nonetheless and equally enjoyed seeing everyone. I did spend many years there and that period was a defining, important, part of my life. It made me what I am, both for the good and the bad. I plan to live up to the good, and minimize the bad.