Is it over yet?
Officially, I retired from CalFire in 2009, and theoretically, I should have been enjoying my summers since then by doing fun things, such as fishing. While I have done some of that, it seems there's always projects to pay for, or "extra" family things to pay for, so each summer, for at least a portion of it, I've gone back and worked in the dispatch center for the Forest Service. With all our moving last year, the workload I took on was light, and I worked somewhere in the neighborhood of 350 hours. With remodeling and moving expenditures/vehicle repair/maintenance stuff over the last 12 months, I decided that this year I'd work as much as possible. I worked a small amount this early spring, then went in 3 days a week in May, and I am currently in the middle of a three cycle assignment covering a LOT of hours. I've had the last 2 nights off, but before that I worked 21 straight nights of 12 hour shifts. I go back in tonight to start my second 21 night run, then I'll have 2 nights off, and then I'll finish off with another 15-16 night cycle. All in all this year I believe I'll push 1,000 hours. In July/August I'll hit 700 hours alone. The money is good, and I'm very thankful for the opportunity to replenish the bank account, but when September rolls around I will definitely be ready for it to end.
Sorry to hear you had to go back to work, I bet it will feel good to have that stuff paid off and have some extra money. Nice you had something you could go to help out with the money situation.
ReplyDeleteThat's an incredible commitment. I hope September arrives quickly for you, and that you can finally enjoy some well-earned fishing!
ReplyDeleteI am sorry that you had to go back to work. I echo Handmade in Israel's comment.
ReplyDeleteI can see that using skills you already have would make it easy to do a task, and doing office tasks means you're safeer.
ReplyDelete*safer*
DeleteYour long stretch of night shifts shows incredible dedication and the way you balance retirement with the need to cover projects, repairs, and family expenses is admirable, and even though the hours are intense and the cycles are demanding, your determination to push through nearly one thousand hours this season highlights both your strong work ethic and your commitment to keeping everything on track until you can finally breathe again in September.
ReplyDeleteIn my younger days, it always seemed like I had money but no time to enjoy it, or plenty of time but no money. Retirement can be an additional complication. Fortunately, September isn't too far off!
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