What I Miss/Don't Miss About Work - So Far

It may be a little early to visit this issue fully, but I thought I would share my initial thoughts after nearly three months of retirement, on the eve of the new fiscal year. Not enough time has passed yet to grasp the big picture, but it's been long enough to sense that something profound has happened.

First, the easy part - what I don't miss. Number one on the list is the need for urgency. The challenge at work was always how well I could do something in the allotted time. As those who know me well would attest, my first reaction to that challenge was to do whatever I could to get more time - plan ahead, start early, put time back in my calendar by pushing out non-critical items, and when needed put in extra hours. For the most part, these tactics worked well for the task at hand. But even the most proficient planning practices do not create more time. They only direct time to certain priorities, at the expense of other activities. So the cost for appeasing my reluctance to be rushed was to not get to other things that were fun and often more personally rewarding. In retirement, this problem has virtually disappeared. So far I have found that the need for urgency seldom arises. Of course, it never goes away completely. There are always family, health and safety issues that come up. But the percentage of time I have to putter my way through my various avocations at a preferred pace is enormous in comparison to pre-retirement. And it feels great.

Number two on the don't-miss list are the endless rules and regulations that govern behavior at work. Some of you may be wrinkling your brows at this admission as, it's true, I used structure in my working life like a tomahawk. Protocols, work flow diagrams, timelines - the dreaded Project Management Guidelines - I wielded like Obiwan's light saber. But in my defense, it was all driven by what I felt was the need to "get it right" and "get it right the first time" whenever possible. It was my way of reconciling the need for urgency noted above with the constraints of the work place, which in the Federal bureaucracy (and especially research) could be overwhelming. I would likely do it all over again the same way if life were rewound. But now, it's different. The only rules I am bound by are nature's, my conscience, and of course those negotiated with my Bride (actually, these should have been listed first :-) And this, too, feels great.

A third item I don't miss, at least in recent years, are the poor support services. I don't miss repeated efforts to get the same things fixed, without success. I don't miss lingering help desk tickets, the elevated listings of items not fixed by the help desks, or the meetings to create the elevated listings. And I really don't miss the time lost by me and my coworkers to perform all of these follow ups. Well, you get the picture. My apologies to those of you still fighting the support wars for even bringing this up. But I remain available if anyone needs help drafting a "nasty gram" to deal with an especially grievous breakdown in customer service. It's a skill set I'd like to preserve.

But enough of the dark side. What do I miss about work? Number one on the list - no big surprise here - the people. I miss visiting with my work friends, keeping up with their lives and just knowing that they are well. I still think about them (you) and wonder how people are doing. I get some updates from former colleagues that are still in my social circle (golf, music parties, lunches). And I do get occasional blog post comments, which are always welcome. But I would like to have more. I have email addresses for most of my old friends that I don't see any more and plan to work this issue a little harder from my end.

Number two on the do-miss list (and this was a surprise to me) is just being helpful. Not that I don't have plenty of home-based trade in this area, but that's different. I spent 40 years in the IRS, 33 as a manager. I learned to navigate the environment. I don't miss the administrative tasks. But resolving disagreements, sorting out the logic of a research challenge, managing client relationships - those were fun and rewarding. I actually do miss being in the mix, at least every once in a while.

And a third item to note - I miss downtown. Yes, the commute can be a pain, and parking is always a hassle. But just walking the streets, feeling the activity, noticing what might be changing - I sort of miss that. I have been frequenting downtown Detroit in one capacity or another since 1972. My final few years of working from home were a helpful transition, but even through that time I knew when I would next be cruising down Lake Shore and Jefferson, past the Ren Cen and "The Fist", and up Woodward to my office. I'm keeping my hand in by meeting friends downtown for lunch every so often. And I am enjoying those outings a great deal.

These are my sentiments so far. I'll take another reading of what I do and don't miss about work in a few months and see what else shows up. For now, even considering the things I do miss, I remain convinced that my decision to retire when I did was the right one.

And a couple of updates on previous posts.

The Purge - still going well. All the rooms of both the Grosse Pointe house and the cottage have been reformatted or defragged as appropriate, as have a fair number of the closets and other storage bins. Most noteworthy among these so far was the cleanout of the under stair storage off the basement rec room. Over the years a growing inventory of old electronics were strewn among several boxes of school-era memorabilia, bags of old photos from previous generations of Burks and LeRoys, an old library of reel-to-reel tapes, and at least a two-year supply of Wiser's Deluxe (actually found a case of this family staple that I didn't know I had). The photos, memorabilia and whisky are all now in their respective bins and ready for further processing. The reel-to-reel tapes are on the bubble. The bulk of the electronics walked "the concrete mile" to the curb (although as expected almost all were "picked" prior to the arrival of the trash collectors).  Next up - the pantry.

Lunch Poetry - today's offering. This little ditty was inspired by the melt down that was slowly taking place in the old District Office in 1997, especially in the Collection Division. It is set to the lyrics and music of Simon & Garfunkel's At the Zoo. Two notes. The term FOPI (pronounced fo'-pee) in Line 7 refers to a comparative statistical index on enforcement activity that was imposed by the IRS National Office in the mid-90s. The FOPI turned out to be pretty destructive to public relations and was a major contributor to the demise of the old district structure in 2000. The term QU in Line 14 refers to the Quality Underground, a small group of loyalists who met periodically after hours at the Lindell AC to have a few beers, commiserate and recharge. As it was a secret society, I can say no more on the advice of counsel :-) Enjoy.

At the Zoo

 

You should believe it.

I think it's true.

 

Our leaders search for honesty,

And act like they're sincere,

And the analysts are kindly

But they're bummed.

 

The FOPI's made us skeptical

Of changes in our data.

And the personnel selections

Make us numb.

 

Branch chiefs are reactionaries.

Managers need missionaries.

Support staffs plot in secrecy, and

The QU turns on frequently.

 

At the zoo.

It could be true.