working early and never, ever retire.
Viola earned her first paycheck at the age of fourteen for 60 cents a week, while Lucy earned her first paycheck at the age of seventeen earning two dollars a week. They started working early, and began to save young. They never blew a paycheck, nor were in the position, by their own spending, to be living hand-to-mouth. They encouraged me to do the same.
Like Viola, Lucy never officially retired. She died on the eve of her ninety-ninth birthday, in a stroke rehabilitation/assisted living hospital. Her hope was to return home, to her life and her shop on West Lake Street. Alas, she never did, but in that time, she never officially closed her shop, or moved from her home. It stood empty, and when I visited her, I would stay there.
Viola sold her factory building a year after my grandfatherâs death. She did not sell the name outright, but liquidated the contents of the mill, the machinery, the remnants of supplies, and the cutting table.
Viola had now, late in life, a fourth career arc. After working as an operator for hire, then a forelady, and then owning and operating her own business, Viola returned to the mill as a machine operator. She took deep satisfaction from staying in the game. She believed retirement happened when they lowered you into the ground. So Viola officially stopped working in April 1997, when she returned to the Heavenly Father.
If, God willing, I live long and productively like my grandmothers, and fellow authors such as Mary Higgins Clark and Maeve Binchy, while maintaining strength of body, mind, and a can-do spirit, I plan on never, ever, ever retiring. This is one instance where I can say never . I learned from Lucy and Viola that if you stay in the game and out in the world, there are new things to learn and savor in the final years of life. I plan to hold on to that philosophy until they wrestle the pencil out of my hands.
It takes more than one job to make a living.
Lucy was flexible when it came to taking on extra work. She looked at these short-term jobs as a way to make extra money and expand her skill set.
I try to take on any job offered me if there is a way that I can fulfill the obligations to the bossâs (producer or publisher) satisfaction. I learn so much when I take on extra work. I meet new people, develop new alliances, and am introduced to new and often better techniques. Sometimes, a side job will encourage new ways of thinking, or a new approach to my work. The additional compensation can go to pay down the mortgage, or provide a budget for a research trip that leads to more work. You never know. So if it doesnât kill you, do it.
Plan on the rainy day.
The rainy day wasnât a cautionary lyric in a Sinatra song for Lucy and Viola; the wolf was at the door, and he was howling. It wasnât a matter of whether a rainy day was coming, it was a certainty: so be aware and be prepared .
Lucyâs worries were centered around the fear that she had no family in this country, and therefore there was no safety net for her children if something bad happened to her. In a sense, Lucy willed her good health and long life, in order to take care of her family. She took care of her health, knowing that if she got sick, the entire structure of the family and the security of her children would be in jeopardy.
Lucy never complained about her obligations, and while she loved to laugh, listen to opera and read beefy romance novels in Italian, she was thoughtful and private. She appeared, to outsiders, to be stoic and unflappable. But she assured me that there were many nights when she was afraid, and her obligations were so overwhelming, she would give in to her emotions and cry, covering her sobs so her children wouldnât hear her. I donât know what kind of a woman my grandmother would have been had her husband lived and realized his dream of becoming a shoe designer, but I imagine, with his gregarious nature, in success,
Viola earned her first paycheck at the age of fourteen for 60 cents a week, while Lucy earned her first paycheck at the age of seventeen earning two dollars a week. They started working early, and began to save young. They never blew a paycheck, nor were in the position, by their own spending, to be living hand-to-mouth. They encouraged me to do the same.
Like Viola, Lucy never officially retired. She died on the eve of her ninety-ninth birthday, in a stroke rehabilitation/assisted living hospital. Her hope was to return home, to her life and her shop on West Lake Street. Alas, she never did, but in that time, she never officially closed her shop, or moved from her home. It stood empty, and when I visited her, I would stay there.
Viola sold her factory building a year after my grandfatherâs death. She did not sell the name outright, but liquidated the contents of the mill, the machinery, the remnants of supplies, and the cutting table.
Viola had now, late in life, a fourth career arc. After working as an operator for hire, then a forelady, and then owning and operating her own business, Viola returned to the mill as a machine operator. She took deep satisfaction from staying in the game. She believed retirement happened when they lowered you into the ground. So Viola officially stopped working in April 1997, when she returned to the Heavenly Father.
If, God willing, I live long and productively like my grandmothers, and fellow authors such as Mary Higgins Clark and Maeve Binchy, while maintaining strength of body, mind, and a can-do spirit, I plan on never, ever, ever retiring. This is one instance where I can say never . I learned from Lucy and Viola that if you stay in the game and out in the world, there are new things to learn and savor in the final years of life. I plan to hold on to that philosophy until they wrestle the pencil out of my hands.
It takes more than one job to make a living.
Lucy was flexible when it came to taking on extra work. She looked at these short-term jobs as a way to make extra money and expand her skill set.
I try to take on any job offered me if there is a way that I can fulfill the obligations to the bossâs (producer or publisher) satisfaction. I learn so much when I take on extra work. I meet new people, develop new alliances, and am introduced to new and often better techniques. Sometimes, a side job will encourage new ways of thinking, or a new approach to my work. The additional compensation can go to pay down the mortgage, or provide a budget for a research trip that leads to more work. You never know. So if it doesnât kill you, do it.
Plan on the rainy day.
The rainy day wasnât a cautionary lyric in a Sinatra song for Lucy and Viola; the wolf was at the door, and he was howling. It wasnât a matter of whether a rainy day was coming, it was a certainty: so be aware and be prepared .
Lucyâs worries were centered around the fear that she had no family in this country, and therefore there was no safety net for her children if something bad happened to her. In a sense, Lucy willed her good health and long life, in order to take care of her family. She took care of her health, knowing that if she got sick, the entire structure of the family and the security of her children would be in jeopardy.
Lucy never complained about her obligations, and while she loved to laugh, listen to opera and read beefy romance novels in Italian, she was thoughtful and private. She appeared, to outsiders, to be stoic and unflappable. But she assured me that there were many nights when she was afraid, and her obligations were so overwhelming, she would give in to her emotions and cry, covering her sobs so her children wouldnât hear her. I donât know what kind of a woman my grandmother would have been had her husband lived and realized his dream of becoming a shoe designer, but I imagine, with his gregarious nature, in success,
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