Retirement Can Be Much Better Than Work

Here is the latest e-mail from a fan (name has been changed) who read one of my books (likely The Joy of Not Working).

If you are having a bad day at work or in retirement, the e-mail will cheer you up, in that your situation won't appear to be all that bad.

It may also make you decide to not pursue that retirement job that you were thinking of pursuing.

"Dear Mr. Zelinski,
My name is Sam and I work for a community college as an administrative assistant in the worst department. The department is totally dysfunctional. I have tolerated this crazy place for 14 long years. I ended up working here because I did not know what I wanted to do with my life professionally speaking. This still remains a problem. Perhaps, if you don't mind, you might be able to suggest a starting point, to begin to be happy at work and to have some career direction. I just turned 48 yesterday. It was difficult to celebrate my birthday when I am so unhappy. I received this memo from the person in charge of the entire department about being tardy to work. She went on to explain the hours that I am required to work as if, after 14 years, I would not know this. I felt like I was in second grade. I am sure even second graders would not need to be told this.
Thanks for your time.
Sincerely,
Sam D."

No doubt in this guy's situation, retirement can be better than work.

Perhaps he should try to do something that will attract a much better job in the work world keeping in mind Why the Law of Attraction Does Not Work for Most People.

Here are a few quotes about work to put things in proper perspective:

Get happiness out of your work or you may never know what happiness is.
— Elbert Hubbard

I believe you are your work. Don’t trade the stuff of your life, time, for nothing more than dollars. That’s a rotten bargain.
— Rita Mae Brown

You are what you do. If you do boring, stupid, monotonous work, chances are you'll end up boring, stupid, and monotonous.
— Bob Black

In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it: they must not do too much of it: and they must have a sense of success in it — not a doubtful sense, such as needs some testimony of others for its confirmation, but a sure sense, or rather knowledge, that so much work has been done well, and fruitfully done, whatever the world may say or think about it.
— W. H. Auden

My father taught me to work, but not to love it. I never did like to work, and I don't deny it. I'd rather read, tell stories, crack jokes, talk, laugh-anything but work.
— Abraham Lincoln

All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.
— Aristotle

Don't be a salary slave! If you are going to do anything in this world, you must start before you are forty, before your period of initiative has ended. Do it now!
— Robert Cochrane (a Chicago advertising executive, to Carl Laemmle, who took the advice, quit his job as a clothing store manager, and eventually became a movie mogul)