She's so tired, she REtired.
Stupid joke, right? But I like stupid jokes.
So, my mother is retiring tomorrow. She has worked at the same job, in the same library for 30 years. All during those 30 years while she worked, she also battled a chronic and painful muscle disorder called spasmodic torticollis--among other chronic conditions, including diabetes, interstitial cystitis, and several other conditions that were painful. She was never one to skip work on a whim and she had to feel like death warmed over before calling in sick. She has always been proud of her job in the library. You may not know this, but my mother never went to college. She finished high school, got married, and started a family. She was a stay at home mom from the time my middle sister was an infant until I was around 10 years old and she had already been battling the torticollis for around 4 or 5 years at that point. She could have continued staying at home. My dad never once told her she had to get a job but she did because she wanted to pull our family out of the poverty we'd been living under for so long. I've never told my mom how proud I am of her and how thankful I am for the sacrifices she made for us.
I didn't understand her sacrifice at the time. I was so young, I didn't understand or think about what kind of pain she was constantly in. How difficult it was to struggle against the constant pull of the muscles in her neck. How painful that struggle was or how much that pain affected the rest of her body. Spasmodic torticollis, you see, isn't something that can be cured. It can only be partially managed with muscle relaxers, chiropractic care, message therapy, and once upon a time (back in the 90's) Botox injections.
A couple of Fridays ago, the library threw a retirement reception for her and the other three retirees. It was a big stinking deal to my mom. A once in a lifetime deal. A graduation, of sorts. She is graduating from the school of hard work. A hard fought and hard won feat that doesn't come with a diploma.
So, my mother is retiring tomorrow. She has worked at the same job, in the same library for 30 years. All during those 30 years while she worked, she also battled a chronic and painful muscle disorder called spasmodic torticollis--among other chronic conditions, including diabetes, interstitial cystitis, and several other conditions that were painful. She was never one to skip work on a whim and she had to feel like death warmed over before calling in sick. She has always been proud of her job in the library. You may not know this, but my mother never went to college. She finished high school, got married, and started a family. She was a stay at home mom from the time my middle sister was an infant until I was around 10 years old and she had already been battling the torticollis for around 4 or 5 years at that point. She could have continued staying at home. My dad never once told her she had to get a job but she did because she wanted to pull our family out of the poverty we'd been living under for so long. I've never told my mom how proud I am of her and how thankful I am for the sacrifices she made for us.
I didn't understand her sacrifice at the time. I was so young, I didn't understand or think about what kind of pain she was constantly in. How difficult it was to struggle against the constant pull of the muscles in her neck. How painful that struggle was or how much that pain affected the rest of her body. Spasmodic torticollis, you see, isn't something that can be cured. It can only be partially managed with muscle relaxers, chiropractic care, message therapy, and once upon a time (back in the 90's) Botox injections.
A couple of Fridays ago, the library threw a retirement reception for her and the other three retirees. It was a big stinking deal to my mom. A once in a lifetime deal. A graduation, of sorts. She is graduating from the school of hard work. A hard fought and hard won feat that doesn't come with a diploma.
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| My head looks weird here. haha |
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| The fifth retiree isn't into social events or center of attention things so she didn't come to the reception. |
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| Daddy doesn't usually like these types of events but she didn't even have to ask him. He volunteered to come! So sweet! |
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| My great Aunt , Sis2 and the kids, step-grandmother, Granny, and Daddy all got to attend. Sis1 had "other commitments" and didn't make it.
She's packed up 30 years worth of stuff she had kept in her cubical. It's taken her nearly a month of loading her car every day. If nothing else, it's inspired me to go minimalist in my own cubical. And tomorrow, she'll walk out of here free to enjoy life without the burden of work stress. To be honest, I'm totally jealous. I have at least another seven years before I can retire with full state benefits and probably another ten years (or longer) before I can actually retire. *sobbing*
Her department is taking her out to lunch today and then tomorrow, WBF (aka her "work daughter") and I are taking her to lunch and then to do a "photo shoot" around campus like the graduates do. We thought it would be a fun tribute to her "graduation" into retirement.
And so ends and era for both of us. I have worked in the same library with my mama since I was a freshman in college. We've carpooled together for the past 13 years...even before I moved a mile up the road from her. It will be an adjustment for both of us, for sure, but I'm excited to see what this next chapter of our lives looks like.
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