Busy day

Today was. At work.

There’s a lot of routine stuff going on, but also one special event. Tomorrow is the last day for one of our plant’s long-term employees; he’s retiring.

We’re a very small company now (under 100 employees), but we’ve bought a gift for both the employee and his wife, and we’re having a send-off celebration with a big cake.

Why did that make me busy? Well, I’ve become known as the company poet. Whenever a long-term employee has left in the past and we’ve planned any kind of a good-bye party or gathering, I’ve written a humorous (I hope) poem.

I always try to put into the verses references to events that happened during the person’s employment. I don’t try to “roast” them, just get a few laughs at the memories that come back.

Well, this particular employee has always been pretty low key, and just a really nice guy. I spent ALL DAY today writing a poem for him. There’s very little humor involved, darn it. I just couldn’t come up with anything.

And as all you writers know, when you’re having a hard time coming up with ideas and you have phone calls or other interruptions, the whole process takes TEN TIMES as long.

So the poem turned out as a way to mention a lot of the employees who had worked alongside of this guy over the years, rather than a re-hashing of the guy’s foibles. I listed many of the supervisors and managers who came and went during this retiree’s tenure. I listed many of the people who worked with him in two different departments.

At least that way a lot of old names will be remembered, and some current folks will perk up to hear their own names. I hope it will suffice.

I would include the poem for your reading pleasure, but I usually don’t put actual names on my blog posts to avoid making people who may read it feel like their privacy was invaded.

Anyway, I was busy ALL DAY today. And that’s why you’re reading a boring, non-humorous, non-romantic, non-much-of-anything blog post. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Let’s hope.