Posted by Buzzman72 on March 14, 2014 at 06:05:18 from (74.138.169.48):
I was always the guy who worked 2 [sometimes 3] jobs, because when I got older and retired I'd be able to do all the projects--street rods, mostly--that I'd put off when I was a younger man.
Nowadays, I'm almost 60...laid off in 2008 when the recession hit and the business cut back. At my age, I've only been able to get hired for temp jobs since then. One interviewer even went as far as telling me that my age might "skew" insurance rates for his company if they hired me [so they didn't]. Because the temp jobs are just that, I've had to cash in my cash-value life insurance, and that was after I had to cash in my 401(k) to keep my house.
But I've still done my best to keep my head up. Then last May I was hospitalized with atrial fibrillation; now I'm on meds for that. An old, long-neglected back injury [kept telling myself, "You're tougher than that!"] is causing hip pain when I stand too long. And in the past couple of months, I've developed a VERY painful arthritic shoulder...so I'm having to teach myself to do a lot of tasks with the other arm, since the prescription I'm on [can't take NSAIDs like ibuprofen, which used to help, because of the A-fib meds] only takes the edge off the pain.
And those street rod projects? Still sitting, because I'm currently not physically able to do what I did even 5 years ago. If you'd have told me 5 years ago that I'd be having as many physical problems as I am today, I'd have laughed in your face. Yeah, I'm better off than some folks I know...but a lot of them are now going on disability.
To get to my point: I don't want your sympathy, and I don't want your pity. I just want to tell you younger guys, DON'T PUT OFF THE FUN STUFF AS YOU GO THROUGH LIFE. I never expected to end up like this, and I'm pretty sure most of you don't expect it, either. But if you put the fun stuff off until after you retire, like I did, you may not get the chance to do any of it. I should've learned from my dad's example; he planned to retire at 62, but he died six months before that, and left a lot of his dreams undone. But I was hard-headed, and convinced myself that I was different, and that nothing would ever happen to me to keep me from livin' the dream when I retired.
If you pass a chance to do something for yourself, when you get "a round tuit" you may not be physically able to do it...much less enjoy it. Learn from my mistake. Now, I'm not saying to let the work slack while you party; that's not what this is about. But I had a friend who built his '41 Ford street rod while he was in his early 40's, rather than working that 2nd job like I did. He's enjoying his car now, while I'm looking at some rusted metal knowing mine may never get built, and if I die too soon, it'll probably be sold for scrap.
As a younger man, I learned some lessons from my brother's mistakes. Now I'm telling you young folks to learn from my mistakes. If you want to find a tractor and restore it...DO IT! Don't wait. If you want to build an old truck or car, DO IT NOW, while you're still physically able. Things change quickly, and your chance may be taken away in a heartbeat.
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