Growing old – it’s not for sissies. Betty Davis said something like this in a quote once. This year has definitely been a reminder that age is slowly creeping up on us.
Pinterest Quotes for Growing Old
Sometimes you just have to stop and read some of the great quotes you can find on the internet. Pinterest has thousands of quotes. The first one that displayed is “I thought growing old would take longer.” Ain’t that the truth!
Then there are the more reflective quotes. “We don’t stop playing because we grow old… We grow old because we stop playing.” Again, truth!
Aches and Pains
We have certainly had our share this year. From Pat’s (somewhat age-related) foot surgeries to Mike’s shoulder aches and pains, it’s apparent that life slows you down. We talk about slowing down with the business. Many of Mike’s challenges come from the sheer physical nature of the job. We wonder how long he’ll be able to continue moving sheets of 4′ x 8′ steel onto the table. The hours of grinding that go along with creating metal art are a necessity. And the 23 years of building homes probably doesn’t help with that.
It’s also becoming more obvious that we need to balance work with time off. We’ve started to take a few days off here and there. Just jumping in the motor home and driving a half hour to the high cascade lakes’ campgrounds helps.
We Love The Challenge of the Job
It’s hard to think about not having our business. Custom work is the part of why we love Sunriver Metal Works. We love the challenge of creating some tangible from an idea someone has. It’s what keeps us going. At this point, we can’t imagine not doing it.
Working Smarter Not Harder
So how do you successfully transition the years between full time employment and retirement? We have started talking about contracting with someone to do the more physical aspects of the business. We continue to maintain contact with our customers and design the metal art and signs, but contract with someone to do the cutting. Or maybe we look at selling the business outright. There are a variety of options to be explored. We’re not at the point of making major changes yet. Just starting to do some tweaking around the edges.
A Short Sabbatical
We’ll be on a short sabbatical the first two weeks of October, while Pat recovers from surgery and Mike becomes nurse. Customer contacts will still be responded to, but fulfilling orders may be a little delayed. It will depend on how quickly mending occurs. We appreciate your patience as we get back on our feet. The holidays are just around the corner!