Days Off

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I received an email yesterday that shocked me.

“The office is closed on Monday. Do NOT work on Monday.”

My initial reaction was:

“I’m not taking the day off.”

Juneteenth is Monday. It is a Federal holiday in all 50 states. OSHA won’t be working so the chances that I get a panic phone call from one of my clients is much less.

And for those people who don’t know what Juneteenth is about it’s to celebrate the emancipation of slaves back in 1865.

A day worth commemorating.

“Maybe I can take a long weekend,” I thought.

I texted the department head.

“Am I really not working on Monday?”

He sent me an inter-office memo.

“You’re absolutely off! Go golfing.”

I put two and two together and ran into a couple of other veteran safety guys.

“What’re you doing Monday?” I asked one of them.

“Golfing with you,” he said. “And even if you can’t go that’s what I’m going to say I’m doing because I’m not staying home.”

I laughed.

“I think we’re too used to going to work,” I said. “I might be the only guy who has to be told not to show up.”

And of course, the discussion turned into the last 30+ years of our work routine. I’m the youngest of the three guys who gathered for lunch. All long-time safety guys who’ve been friends since the 1980’s.

The oldest of us is beyond retirement age. He has been retiring for the last four or five years. He claims to be finished at the end of 2023.

“I’m thinking I’ll work part-time next year,” he said.

I laughed.

“Last time I talked to you, you were completely done!”

“Yeah. No. I can’t do that.”

I looked to the next guy, who is also in a position where he could walk away tomorrow.

“I’m not even thinking about it yet,” he said.

Then they looked at me.

“I’ve definitely been seriously thinking about it.”

They both laughed.

“Truly,” I said. 

“Uh, excuse the skepticism, but they had to send you an email to stay home on a paid day off, and neither of us believe that you’re going to do it.”

“It’s about routines,” I said. “I can learn new routines.”

There was more laughter, and then we spent the rest of lunch talking about staffing for the construction of the Bills new stadium, and some of the accidents around town. Our lunch was interrupted because we all received calls that made us hop to it.

Three straight days off.

In the middle of the busy construction season seems weird…

…but someday…

…maybe sooner than we think….

…younger men will do our jobs…

…and we can make it through lunch…

…or sleep past 6:30 in the morning.

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