Phases | Personal

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few weeks ago, my father-in-law, Tim, retired from UPS after 35 years. I'll say that again -- 35 YEARS! Crazy, isn't it?! I haven't even been alive 35 years, let alone done one thing for that substantial amount of time. I can't imagine what it is like to walk away from something you have spent 75% of your life working on. How do you let that go to begin a new phase?

It got me thinking about all the different jobs I've held over the years. I started my first job as a Fountain Server when I was 14 and have been working ever since. Over the years I worked various stints as a hostess, waitress, barista, tanning "consultant", and probably one or two more I'm forgetting! There were times where I even worked 2 jobs at once and the truth is, it's not because I needed to, it was because I wanted to. I know that sounds strange coming from a then 17-year old, but there is something rewarding about being valued as an employee and knowing that you are necessary to manage the day-to-day functions of any given job. 

I've been out of college for 5 years now and have been working for the Federal Government ever since. It is a fantastic job and I am incredibly fortunate to have landed at such a great agency that is open to hearing new ideas. However, I still felt like something was missing in this phase of my life, which is why I decided to venture into photography on the side. Somehow, being able to do both rounds out the day-to-day office work and in turn makes me better at both jobs if that's possible.  

Here are a couple photos (a new challenge: taking pictures in a dimly, fluorescent lit warehouse) I took at Tim's retirement. Notice how many employees, both new and old came back to say goodbye -- that is what 35 years of hard work looks like!