December 10, 2008. Chevy Chase, Md. Working.

All my life good folks have commented to me that they felt sorry for me that I work so hard. Just a year or so after Ken and I married in 1958, several friends commiserated with me because I had to work, as Ken was at Medical School and I was still teaching. I laughed at them, because had I not been married, I would certainly be teaching. At that time, it was the custom for ladies to stop working and have children immediately, but that was not our pattern. Now I hear the same kind of comments. A good friend mentioned to me, while talking to me on the phone while I was at work, the fact that "Poor, Ruth. You are at work". I just laughed at her but did not respond.

Now I have thought about work long and hard, and have decided that people who think that about work probably did not enjoy their job. Or perhaps they only did what they were told. I have been fortunate in my choice of employment. For ten years I taught Physical Education at the Junior High level, for seven years in Toronto and then three years in Texas, working in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, in service treatment. In both instances I was in charge of a program of activity to organize and implement for the young people. As I have always had oodles of energy, that was good work for me and I enjoyed every minute. Next in line was raising the children and attending graduate school, also a job I enjoyed. Once again, I had the responsibility to organize my days and the activities of the children. Real Estate came next, for ten years as an agent and for the past 21 years as a Manager of an office. These two activities are very different, but still allowed me to control my hours and my activities, something for me seems to be a requirement. Now I have enjoyed my work and felt rewarded for my efforts, so for me, work is a pleasure, not a drudgery. Also, I have observed that many people who retire do not do well, and seem to loose competence and confidence. In the modern world, perhaps the proper time to retire should be 70, or perhaps more retired folks could work part time, just to keep themselves sharp. The trick is to figure out just what you want out of the next ten years.

So do not feel sorry for me. I like my job.