As I drove away from my final place of employment, the words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” came to mind.  Not what I expected, but it was the perfect way to describe bosses who were so bad at their jobs that even though I am a fan of Steve Carell, I was unable to watch The Office until 2010!

And so began my journey in acceptance . . . . I applied for Social Security Disability while looking for another job.  The other job never happened.

I complained a lot for the next few months, and got it out of my system.  I soon realized that only my closest friends knew what a good worker I was and that was not my fault that I was forced into retirement.  Others gave me a funny look and I realized that they had no empathy for me and that I was feeling like a victim.  Maya Angelou said it much more eloquently than I can,“Whining is not only graceless, but it can be dangerous. It can alert a brute that a victim is in the neighborhood.”

I stopped being a victim.  I took control of my life and started reading, sewing, and doing all the things I was too busy to do while working.  Now I see each day as a new beginning.