There was a gentle rain over night. A half inch fell on my part of the world, and during a dry summer, it’s very much appreciated. Rain was followed by a cloudy, cool day. My dog and I didn’t take on any big projects today.
It’s been a day to think about the deaths resulting from a white supremacy riot yesterday in this country.
As I contemplate retirement, and look back over more than forty years of employment, the battles for equality are the same now as they were back then. Women are still paid less than men, white men still earn more money than people from any other race or gender. It’s still more difficult for women and people of color to be hired.
It stretches my imagination to wonder why young white men are so afraid of the rest of us that they violently protest. What happens to older women? We are already powerless in the workplace. I worry that without employment’s buying power, I will be even more sidelined by society when I finally leave employment, and less able to defend myself.
However, my body is trying to tell me that I can’t forever dwell in the land of theoretically considering retirement as job stress is physically harming me. My back buckles, often without warning, and sends shooting pains across my lower back. My neck is sending a message too. The tension in my shoulders works it’s way up my neck, and results in periodic headaches.
LLZ Ranch 