William and Gator

27 and 40 - no, these are not the ages of the strangers I met today. Those are the number of years that William and Gator spent with their employers, respectively, before retiring several years ago. 27 years is a long time and I give William a lot of credit for his prolonged tenure but 40 years with the same employer?!?! That is the essence of loyalty. Gator worked for an engineering company and specialized in the design and construction of foundations for commercial buildings. He was routinely exposed to the hazards of working with ruptured gas and water pipes and experienced some life threatening electric shots. It did not sound like a cushy job. Perhaps, it was the very challenging nature of his work that kept him going for those 40 years. I am a person of habit and love the predictability of my routine (little surprises are welcomed every once in a while) but I can not foresee being devoted to one and only one employer for the rest of my working life. Every time the mega million jackpot reaches $100 million, I buy five tickets and dream of bidding farewell to my desk altogether, but those dreams are shattered when Yolanda Vega announces the winning numbers which, predictably, do not turn out to be my numbers. By the way, the mega million is now at $200 million. Time for a little dreamin.
William worked at a plant that manufactures baking equipment and machinery. Back in the days, William did not enjoy the luxury of working in a heated or air conditioned warehouse. During the warmest summer days, some of the pipes and equipment were too hot to touch bear handed. But above and beyond the basic working conditions, there were additional factors that were beyond his control. The company was bought out at least 4 times. As a result of all the changes in management and the economic downturns, William saw benefits and pensions substantially reduced; unions dismantled; hourly rates slashed from $12.60 to $9 and an unfair share of lay offs. But according to William, it was a job and you had to do what you had to do or you could walk out the door. William had already seen all the perils of corporate downsizing long before the global financial crisis of the past two years. He's been there and he knows that things will turn around in a matter of time. Today, the DOW closed above 10,000 for the first time in a year. Let us hope that it is an early sign of the recovery.
Nowadays, William's and Gator's favorite pastimes include poker and watching sports. Gator is a fan of Nascar. They are visiting from Richmond, VA. After spending a few days in New York they will be going on a 9-day cruise to Canada, may be to Nova Scotia (?) They were not sure about the exact destination since their wives made the reservations. But they know that they will have a memorable time regardless of the details. Because in addition to their wives, 200 of their friends are in town and will be on the same cruise ship. Family + friends + food + margaritas + poker + music = priceless. William and Gator are proud of their closely knit family. William has been married to his wife for 54 years. Gator is married to William's daughter. William was proud of his son in law. If it hadn't been through William, I may not have learned of Gator's 40 years of service at the same company since Gator was more reserved. I know it's not all about numbers but those numbers speak volumes of their self-determination and character. The boys were having lunch at McDonald's while the girls were catching a Wednesday matinee on Broadway. Per William, "Life is Good."