After Qualifying For Retirement , Did Your Attitude and Blood Pressure Change?

Catatonic

Nine Lives
Some of that discipline won't go away. It took me years, and I mean years, to stop waking up at 530. I still can't
sleep past 700. Snow storm coming. I still check the weather, check the weather, check the weather. Wake up at 4 in the morning
after a snow storm and gotta go out and plow the driveway before work. Oh wait, I don't need to do that anymore. I still
go out and do it anyway. You survived at UPS because you had a work ethic. It won't go away. People with a work
ethic are cursed with it for life.
Lucky for me I was in management. Sleep until noon, snow will melt eventually.
It took me a little over a year to adjust.
 

olroadbeech

Happy Verified UPSer
Some of that discipline won't go away. It took me years, and I mean years, to stop waking up at 530. I still can't
sleep past 700. Snow storm coming. I still check the weather, check the weather, check the weather. Wake up at 4 in the morning
after a snow storm and gotta go out and plow the driveway before work. Oh wait, I don't need to do that anymore. I still
go out and do it anyway. You survived at UPS because you had a work ethic. It won't go away. People with a work
ethic are cursed with it for life.
i have done that many times on a holiday or vacation. get up at my regular time and start getting dressed. hubby says whatta ya doing and I say going to work and then he says youre off today, babe,....... oh ya.
 

jumpman23

Oh Yeah
I was in the gym yesterday and heard a guy talking to a woman about how his job kept him from drinking too much. He went on to tell her that once he retired, he began getting hammered every day and turned to AA for help and found it. I could understand how not having anything to do after working can de a detriment.
Addictive personality isn't good to have especially after you retire lol. Addictive personality= MENTALLY WEAK lol.
 

Xexys

Retired and Happy
I was in the gym yesterday and heard a guy talking to a woman about how his job kept him from drinking too much. He went on to tell her that once he retired, he began getting hammered every day and turned to AA for help and found it. I could understand how not having anything to do after working can de a detriment.


Sounds like a very weak person to me, mentally and physically.

I love my retirement life. I spend everyday, all day, with my wonderful wife. We camp a lot and our library of books is getting bigger and bigger. We find lots of things to do together. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I always hear of people not being able to sit idle. I say, find a hobby. I just love riding my Harley and my wife loves it too.
 

The Milkman

Well-Known Member
Sounds like a very weak person to me, mentally and physically.

I love my retirement life. I spend everyday, all day, with my wonderful wife. We camp a lot and our library of books is getting bigger and bigger. We find lots of things to do together. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I always hear of people not being able to sit idle. I say, find a hobby. I just love riding my Harley and my wife loves it too.

Some people just don't have a clue on how to enjoy their time...Those who want to keep working at UPS until they hobble out on crutches while eligible to hang it up will look back someday wondering why they stayed while still in somewhat decent physical shape..We knew of many who over stayed for the $$$$.........but They now realize that the extra stack of C notes they have does not ease the pain in their bodies..........I am glad you took the same route as me knowing that the time being enjoyed now, retired and healthy is priceless....
 
P

pickup

Guest
In feeders , most of the guys who put in for retirement told me that they felt the weight coming off their shoulders. If a guy is financially sound, and can put in for retirement, he is not too worried about being fired, especially those who already worked past the point of "it doesn't matter anymore financially".

Those guys are just adding some gravy to their desert at that point. They already let management know that they will be retiring within ten months or so and then are left alone, for the most part. There are some exceptions, and it depends on the job in feeders.

Some high seniority guys take CPU jobs which requires a lot of searching for and hooking up to trailers. Some of those trailers ain't where they are supposed to be and after driving around for 10 minutes or so, they call dispatch and after 5 minutes of holding, and five minutes of redispatching another empty trailer and 3 more minutes of searching. Some of that time is dead, unaccounted for "on property time". This coupled with arriving at a live pickup and waiting 25 minutes for a customer to get 23 pallets on a truck and that extra 10 minutes for that last pallet can add to more dead on property time.

This unaccounted for on property time kills the numbers that management is looking for and the red flags that pop up on the screen has the managers accusing the drivers of stealing time even when it is not the case.

There are other high seniority drivers that bid the jobs that go to hubs 5 hours away and these are for the most part drop and hook jobs that add little to on property time and often within the allowance. Those jobs are coveted by these high seniority drivers because of the built in overtime and the learned experience that when you are far away from the hub, no one is looking for three point contact(not that you need to actively do that when driving), compliance with pito rules and fully stopping at pedestrian walk ways in the yards. And most importantly, you are far less likely to engage in discussions with managers , discussions in which friction can be and often is generated. These are generally the drivers that work past their 30 years and could have retired quite a few years ago. When these guys hang it up, it is usually because they get tired of being on the clock 12 to 14 hours a day and tired of coming in 3 30 in the morning. They also are coming to grips with actuarial tables that tell them they are really eating into their retirement years. Once retirement papers are submitted and the clock begins ticking, the only stress that is being relieved is knowing that you ain't getting up that early and you ain't working all day.

And then we have the few guys who are retiring in a few years , not because they can and want to but because they have to. These guys usually have a few health problems(not helped by the sedentary lifestyle fostered by some feeder jobs).These are guys that come in with the lunchbox/coolers that look like they can hold the food for a picnic of 14 people. These are the same guys who park their cars right next to the guard shack and walk from their driveways to the kitchen table and then to the tv room with the second and third helpings of dinner. They have health problems such as borderline diabetes, kidney issues, joint issues. These guys are just trying to get their 22 ,23 , 25 years in and get out. And they still have a year and 1/2 to go before they get to that point. Most make it and some don't (medically disqualified). Those guys are the ones who are under the most stress because they don't want to get fired. They need every dime they can get and all the time in that they can get in towards their pensions before their bodies or doctors say "no more". These are the same guys whose performances and numbers can be less than desired by management and these are the guys who are under the same amount of stress until they make it to the last day of scheduled work.


Well, that's my post for the second quarter, see you guys in the 3rd quarter.

You see, upstate , a guy can quit and rejoin brown cafe without the announcements.
 
P

pickup

Guest
Sounds like a very weak person to me, mentally and physically.
.

Actually, that person was too strong, he had a strong vice that took second place to a stronger virtue of working hard. The enforced schedule for working hard disappeared and the vice that took second place now is finishing first place by default. That person now, ideally, needs to find another first place contender, be it hobby, cause, or god knows what else.. you fill in the blank.

Okay, went over my post quota there but i'm allowed, never really said i wouldn't.
 

olroadbeech

Happy Verified UPSer
pickup. that long post was great. im in the category of feeder run 4 plus hrs from hub. less contact with everyone. working 12 hrs a day. tired all the time. etc.

pretty much financially set . but it is a huge decision to go out. fairly young and healthy. hope to collect pension checks fro 25 years ha ha ha.

thanks for posting. I think my main worry is having a major health issue or money issue. secondary issue would be staying busy .
 

The Milkman

Well-Known Member
pickup. that long post was great. im in the category of feeder run 4 plus hrs from hub. less contact with everyone. working 12 hrs a day. tired all the time. etc.

pretty much financially set . but it is a huge decision to go out. fairly young and healthy. hope to collect pension checks fro 25 years ha ha ha.

thanks for posting. I think my main worry is having a major health issue or money issue. secondary issue would be staying busy .

Into my 8th year of getting pension checks....My goal is like yours, to get 25 years...But the later you hang it up there is less and less of a chance of that happening
 
Top