In a normal schedule for my blog yesterday would have been submission tips and today would be a profile for a book I am reading but I have been extremely distracted this entire week from the loss of a dear friend from work. He was only sixty three when he passed away and it was in fact his birthday the day he died. I have been beside myself since I found out and while it may seem extreme ti react that strongly to a man I knew from my place of employment he was also a strong reminder of my father that I lost just over eight years ago as well.
I was talking with my mom recently about her life since she retired. She travels to see my brother in Texas and comes out to Vegas to see me. She was thrilled to see me when I went home last autumn and is very active going on bus trips and vacations with friends. She will be heading to Florida next week and down to see my brother on a long road trip in May. The next time she comes out here I will be taking her to San Diego because she has never been there. She mentioned that she retired because she wanted to make sure she had time to enjoy life and not just work forever.
My father passed away on October 5th 2007. He was set to retire the following April but never made it. He had a passion for flying his Ultra Lite plane and had been planning to teach both of his children to fly once he had more time. He actually died with his plane nearby. While we all had the opportunity to tell him we loved him in the week before his death we never got the chance to experience his true love and passion with him. It is something I will always regret.
My boss that left us quietly this past Sunday was similar in the fact that he had been a dedicated and hard working casino supervisor for thirty nine years but lost his life before he had the chance to go out and spend time doing the things he was passionate about. He had a family and many friends who all miss him terribly. When it was posted that he had passed away there were a number of people that mentioned how often they had told him to retire but he would just smile and say he would get around to it. n top of the sorrow from never having been able to pursue anything outside of work it is also difficult to understand the suddenness of the loss.
He went in for surgery two weeks ago and was doing well but then four days before he died there were complications and he developed pneumonia. The fluid was drained from his lungs Sunday morning and agin he appeared to be doing ok but on Sunday night he took a dramatic turn for the worse and within a very short time he was gone. Life is so precious and never being guaranteed to get another day it is important to follow your heart every chance you get.
I have been debating for some time now the choice of going full time at my job or staying part time as I have been for nearly four years. The benefits are of course more days which would mean more money, a set schedule and medical benefits which are all desirable things. However I would have to return to swing shift which is a schedule working eight at night until four in the morning. I do not sleep well during the day and was ill quite often when I worked that shift before. It would also cut down significantly on my time for writing and spending with the people I care about. With the loss of my boss and the reminder of my father gone far too soon I have decided that the people and passion in my life will triumph over a particular schedule and I will do what is in my heart instead of following the traditional and solely financially focused path for my future.
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