This Baby Boomer has Retired!

                                         “RETIREMENT - now life begins." 

                                              Is this you?

                                                                   
Embarking on a new journey as many others have done, and many others will follow in the future. This brings various inner feelings within the emotional, scary, happy and unknown roller coaster. No matter how long preparation took, when the day finally comes, it is still very surreal!

                                              So, who exactly is a baby boomer? 

Baby boomer is a descriptive term for a person who was born between 1946 and 1964. The baby boomer generation makes up a substantial portion of the world's population, especially in developed nations: it represents nearly 20% of the American public.

                                                                                 Well, this is me in my prime time years working hard in the accounting field and in the banking industry. A long journey that lasted a few stressful years and many other joyful days, with great people, great managers, great learning and acquiring amazing overall skills that led me to other fun and successful positions.

Fleet Bank where I worked for 12 years in various positions, some at Dupont Drive, others in downtown Providence. Met very interesting people, originating from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Learned a lot from them, quite a fun experience, that brought me to where I am today.

Take your daughter or son to "Work Day" at Fleet Bank was an annual event. Since my daughter was over the age limit, they allowed me to take my niece Sarah, who was 14 at the time, and she had a great day and fun experience. Today, she is a Mom and wife, and still remembers that day well.

Fun times with co-workers outside work.
Lunch at CAV Restaurant, courtesy of 92 WPROfm morning radio show contest.

While today, January 4th, 2018 our US state of Rhode Island is going through a major snow storm, which they are calling Grayson, a bomb cyclone type of storm with high winds, and many schools and companies are closed, I am here blogging and compiling certain passages of my work life journey to share with family and friends. Some of you may relate to this, as you also are following the same life path. Much happiness to you all!

Providence, RI
on 
01/04/2018


Where I worked for a few years downtown, and endured some harsh winter days like today, commuting back and forth, taking RIPTA buses.
How did I survive?

Using social media to announce a new milestone as you leave a life journey to embark into another.

I chose Facebook and here is my post, to which I am getting lots of positive feedback, comments, greetings and fun personal stories of former co-workers, of how we met, where we worked, and how they remember me. A very emotional but wonderful way to look back!

Thank you all! 

And these are my daughter's greetings on facebook. She has been my main supporter since she was a little girl and to whom I apologize for having to endure with me this crazy, long ride and not always be present.

She is now a Mom herself and following her own journey with 3 children along the ride.

Thank you Paula!

My last day at CVS Health consisted of a nice department gathering with good teammates and friends.

Thank you for the card, cake and presents.

Still so surreal my time has come!

Just the other day I was 30 years old and having cake for fellow retirees.

Time flies.

Thank you to all my co-workers at CVS Health 

from the Finance Center in Bank Accounting.

Will miss you all!

Workplaces are like your Home when you are working away from your Home.  Co-Workers are like Family when you are working away from your Family.

And this journey could last decades from the time you graduate from school until the time you decide to retire. Many changes take place during this journey. Many decisions are made to make changes. Work relationships among co-workers have changed greatly through the years, as times have changed. 

In the past, the same people could work together for years and years. 
They would work in the same place for 30 years or so. 

Today, as technology immersed and progressed, companies with standard office positions became more versatile, more open to expand, offering more educational tools and resources, bringing more opportunities for employees to gain skills and so they can succeed and develop within their business area in the company.

Choices to move on became multiple and education offers ready to be pursued.

I have used this office phone with switchboard capabilities.

Some companies allow you to bring your dog to work. 

I worked shortly for a company in between bank merges that 

did just that. 

Internet Days 

Don't know whose office this is, but definitely a practice not allowed in a Finance office. Too relaxed.
 






I was very fortunate to constantly beat the job market. As banks merged with others, sold to others, layoffs happened, but somehow there was always another door being opened to me. Always looking for ways to acquire new skills can be rewarding.

These companies were my homes for some time, and they had a positive impact and played a significant and important role in my success of becoming a good member of our society, and provided great financial support for myself and my family. Fortunately I was always very happy in all of them, and enjoyed the work, as well meeting so many different people. 

B.B. Greenberg was the first company I worked for after graduating from 
Johnson & Wales University and where I learned those first overall office skills that you carry with you through all your career life stages. Like many companies in the 80's, they closed during hardship times, as others emerged ready to meet modern times' progress.

Hasbro, the toy company. Remember bringing home innovative toys for my daughter to test. This was and I believe still is, a perk employees have. 

And then in the 90's and for decades I chose banking to be my work industry. With so many banks merging at the time, opportunities started to arise. People getting laid off, others getting jobs. A trading game, typical for that industry. Banking was where I found my nest, my safe place, even during tough times. 

From 1990 through 2011.
Ups and downs.
Breaks in between.
Surviving many bank merges, others not so much.
Does this look familiar to you?
Is this your journey?
Some day, you will write about it. I want to read it!

However, those overall skills learned through the years, improved through the years, in all those amazing places from amazing people, carried me to the next chapter of my work life, and made me who and what I am today!

Working at Sovereign Bank came after working at Fleet Bank. They also had a "Take your daughter or son to Work Day." I took my oldest grandson Eric William Baxter Jr. He had fun. He is 16 years old today, a junior in high school, and hardly remembers that day. 
He was only 5.

And there I met nice girls, some with of whom I have shared other workplaces. From there as they were sold to the current bank Santander, I moved on to Bank of America, where I came in contact with many other former co-workers from previous places.

Celebrating a life event of a Sovereign Bank co-worker, Melissa's baby shower. With Jenn and Stacey.

And there is that awesome part-time job at Apex Stores, where you were supposed to work just for a little while, and ended up staying for 20 years, working in conjunction with your full time banking job, and loving it! Both definitely provided tremendous financial support and helped my daughter to obtain a great college education. How many people can say they loved to work so much and loving it at the same time? Feeling blessed.

Fond memories, especially at Christmastime. 
Excellent pay, selling mattresses on commission, on a part-time basis. 
Met awesome people, and some great customers.
Paid for just about everything, including my first house, college tuition, some great trips to Portugal.
Working hard pays off. With the bonus, of really loving where you work, and what you do! 

Time to Relax, Meditate, Travel, Family, Daughter, Grandkids. 

Sleep late, Watch morning shows, Late night shows. Go to the Mall, Movies. 

Adapt to a new life, and visit stores mid-morning and become one of those people browsing through the racks, and stop asking yourself like you did on your day off,  "Who are these people and why they are not working?" You know why now, you just became one of them!

Spending time with Grandkids. 
They are growing fast and soon they will rather be with friends.
They are starting their own journey.


EJ.                                                 Remember the 5 year old kid working at Sovereign Bank?

He is all grown up.

Sydney

                                                                                                                                    Justin

Other hobbies planned for this new stage of my life include writing, blogging, photo journals, some traveling, and learning how to go about life without a job. 

Enjoy all the days of my life ahead!

Thinking of my last 6 years at CVS Health, going through a department outsource in 2015, when I thought retirement was the alternative then, but immediately I was offered another position in another department where I have been until now! Not an easy decision to retire, almost did not!

Remembering the walks at lunchtime around the building in the Summer, and the gorgeous skies I encountered upon leaving the building after work. 

CVS Health! 

Where the skies have no limit and greet you at the end of your 

work day.

Thanks for providing healthy 6 years in preparation for retirement.

So long!

♥