Bittersweet lunch with former coworker

[FurBall]

Today I had lunch with a former coworker. It was great to see him and hear about my work family. As he described the current environment I momentarily felt the old stress wash over me. I was taken aback that after two years just hearing about it could have that effect.

So tonight I am both happy to have retired and sad that my friends have not been as lucky as I.

[BunsGettingFirm]

The stress was aptly described to me by a co-worker as taking a sleeping pill and drinking Red Bull at the same time. It's nuts.

[UncleHoney]

I had a similar encounter this week. I attended a retirement reception Wednesday afternoon for an old coworker. I met many of my old coworkers and had a good time.

This morning I got an email with a list of nine names of people that were let go yesterday. All of them I knew and three of them I had talked with Wednesday afternoon.

That brings the total to 12 since the first of the year in a group that numbered about 80 a year ago. And these people were not slackers by any stretch of the imagination. Some had 15 years of service.

It's starting to get ugly.

[ladelfina]

Just READING about this makes me stressed!

While I was working I felt like I was good friends with my colleagues, but after the first year or so of being away from the US and a couple rounds of e-mails, I just feel no need to contact them any more (nor they me). When I go back for visits with family and other friends.. I really have no desire to check in at my old office or see my old business partners. I feel sort of guilty about it since we shared most of our days continuously for years. It's also hard to initiate contact after such a long hiatus...

[Dawg54]

Next week will be interesting for me. I mentioned in another thread that I had been asked to return for a short term project. One or two weeks. So sometime next week I will go in and have a refresher course on what it is like to work again. This will be a breeze knowing that it is just for a few days. But I'm sure I will be reminded why I retired.

[bbbamI]

I haven't w*rked in quite a while, but I do remember the queasy feeling I had when school would start in the fall. Even though I did not have to go back, just the thought gave me the heebie jeebies...this went on for years.

[audreyh1]

Yeah the occasional "WTF I went back to work! How did this happen?!?!" nightmares lasted at least 5 years.

Audrey

[FurBall]

I've had those nightmares too. I wake up in a cold sweat. The frequency decreased dramatically after the first few months. Now they are just occasional.

[Urchina]

I had a reminder yesterday after an unusually contentious HOA board meeting and subsequent call to our now-fired landscaper. My stomach churned for hours.

Even though my kids throw righteous tantrums on occasion, there's no political maneuvering at home. So nice.