Behind The Wheel, Part 2

 

 The holidays are pretty much done, thank goodness. I no sooner started working -five hours a day, five days a week and every other Saturday - than I squeezed in the little bit of shopping and baking I did for Christmas. I threw in a road trip to Maryland to see my friend Mike race at Timonium Indoors, and had an opportunity to see the play The Color Purple thanks to the generosity of my friend Jill. I enjoyed a couple of family holiday dinners and caught up with some other family members at my Uncle Louis's funeral. I'm pretty much looking forward to winding down and spending time indoors writing in between walking outdoors when the weather permits. The trails are generally less crowded in January than July.

     So now to adjust to the new schedule and fit the rest of my life around those five hours in the middle of the day. After being retired for five years I am still getting used to the routine of the work day. Even when I was still a nurse, I had not worked five days in a row in like forever! The last fifteen years I had only worked three days a week, but when I did work full time it was usually two to four days in a row and every other weekend, for decades. Anyway, the point I'm trying to make here is I don't know how to combine the pleasures I've enjoyed while being retired like daily walks and time at the keyboard to write, with the opportunity to earn some money.

     The job itself is pretty low stress. The first week had me feeling nervous. Would I be able to find my way around driving to the different shops on my routes? The second week was kind of an adventure- yes, I can do this - remembering to check orders before I left, getting used to which door to use at different stops, recording the little bit of documentation required. After just about a month, I'm comfortable doing the job, and now I need to find my balance again.

     I drove in all kinds of weather  to the hospital and then people's homes as a nurse, so I should be able to drive auto parts to local shops in Winter. That was one thing I quickly took a liking to in retirement. If I didn't want to go out in the rain and snow, no problem, I stayed home. I keep reminding myself that having free time to enjoy activities and travel is more fun when I can afford to do those things, so it's off to work again.
   

Back To Work / Behind The Wheel

        Auto Parts Delivery Driver (King of Prussia, PA)

     Retirement is great after decades of having to be at work on a regular basis. I have been totally enjoying my free time, my morning walks and road trips. Unfortunately I have found myself spending money as if I still had a working income rather than retirement funds. To those of you contemplating leaving the job someday soon, think about that and try to adjust accordingly.

     Having walked away from nursing five years ago, after thirty-one years in hospitals and then ten years in  home care I was ready to relax. I had done a little traveling in the first couple years, but then settled into a simpler lifestyle until this past year when I started wanting to do some activities that require a bit more spending. So I  started looking for a part-time job.  Last year I worked for six months as a part-time merchandiser for a major greeting card company, stocking and organizing card racks, and changing supplies with the seasons.  I have also applied to local libraries for support positions without success.

    Recently I came across an ad for an auto parts delivery driver. I thought I could combine my skills of working with people from nursing, driving from  my home care days, and lifting boxes of merchandise from the greeting card job. So I applied, and started working about a week and a half ago. If you live in the Delaware Valley, perhaps you've seen those cute little green and yellow cars around.

     Starting a new job or adjusting to anything new can be stressful and as one of the guys that I rode with the first couple of days said, "It's not rocket science", and my Mom reminded me, "it's not nursing" . Easy-peasy. The car is equipped with GPS and the first week on my own was a matter of getting used to the different customers on the route , getting in and out of traffic and the main adjustment of not having those five to six hours a day to relax or do what I like. I forgot how exhausting work is and not having time for my hour-long walk in the park or writing or reading left me more tired than I've been in a while. But at least unlike my friends in home care, I'm not taking my work home at the end of the day.

     After the end of my first week at work, I managed to find the energy to drive a couple hours to Timonium, Maryland to watch my friend Michael race his motorcycle. I've heard about some of his not so great results there in the past and wanted to see this track that keeps calling him back after some broken bikes and broken bones. It was a full night of watching racing, and Mike stayed upright and completed his practices, heats, and Main race  and looked like he had fun doing it.



     I decided to stay overnight in Maryland. After being so tired from working I thought it safer to not drive back late at night, even though my vision is better since my cataract surgery.  After I got home I was able to relax, and had time to take a walk on the trail. I found some time today before work to start writing again.

     I will probably be adjusting to the work thing for a while yet, but the ability to pay off some bills and save for more adventures will carry me through. Who would have thought this old nurse would be doing this job? Not me, but I'll just keep myself open to that Other Plan, and I'll keep looking to see what's going to happen next.