Mom Turned Seventy Today

Today is my mother's 70th birthday. She's as healthy as a horse, extremely active, and looks twenty years younger than her age. She still works, but will be receiving her first Social Security check this month. I had a heart-to-heart with her on Saturday, and she mentioned that she is eligible for a retirement package if she leaves her job by 1 September. Like most Americans, she puts in long hours, and her workplace isn't the place it was when she started. American companies have figured out how to get blood from a turnip, and seem to enjoy running "stress" experiments.

I told her to take the offer- work shouldn't feel like a kick in the belly. She excels at her job, and has a lot of friends on the job, but she's paid her dues. I advised her to take the offer, and, should she feel bored, take a job no more than a ten minute drive from home, or to do volunteer work.

She's got quite a bit to mull over this summer, but I think she should give a "Sayanora, mofos!" to the workplace. Obviously, I'm going to give her a call later, and I wonder if she'll bring up the subject again. Sure, she'll miss certain things about the place, but she can always keep in touch with her friends, without the attendant nonsense so typical of the American workplace in this post-prosperity age.

So, happy birthday to mom, from her workplace "devil's advocate".