My time working at Trader Joe’s gave me quite a bit of food for thought on this process of growing old. Some things I observed or experienced were obvious, but others were more subtle.
You often hear that older people are better workers because of our strong work ethic. We show up on time and work hard. That was me. I found that my younger co-workers (Gen Z and Millennials) were equally as driven; it was some of the “middle aged” (Gen X) who showed up late, didn’t always put in as much effort, complained constantly about everything, etc. This was just my observation, but while we oldsters may have a strong work ethic, the younger generations seem to have developed one as well.
As an older Baby Boomer I have loads of experiences, stories, and lessons learned along the way but what I know often doesn’t match or have much relevance to what young people are experiencing today, whether that’s related to work, money, savings, etc. Living below your means, for example, is irrelevant if you can’t afford rent. What I’ve done and learned in my time on the planet doesn’t often match up with what young people are dealing with today because it’s frankly a very different world and there are different rules now (or a lack of them). The one thing younger co-workers seemed to find relevant was how Brett and I have managed to stay married for so long. I guess that sort of knowledge is timeless though – I was equally as interested in learning about other couples’ longevity when I was young.
I sometimes found myself feeling forgettable, invisible or unseen, or easily dismissed; it happened enough to be noticed. Coworkers sometimes just didn’t seem to know what to do with me – I was either too old and given nothing to do or given too much. I have read about this from other seniors – they want to contribute and stay involved and can do so but are invisible to some or thought to be incapable by others because they are older. In the same vein, they are sometimes or even often assigned work that is detrimental to their strength and health.
My body made me feel old. While my mind feels young and agile, my body sure didn’t. I initially seemed to have a lot of energy for the job, but it became harder and harder to do as time went on, and longer and longer to recover on my days off. Boxes that I once lifted easily became too heavy. My back always hurt, right from the start, even if I wore a brace and a pain-relieving gel patch, and coming home I would collapse on the sofa and not be able to move for several hours – every muscle in my body ached like they never have before. It was when my left knee began to hurt constantly that I knew it was time to leave. Our bodies break down as we age but we usually have backup systems to step in. The physical nature of most work at Trader Joe’s seemed to speed up the breaking down for me and the backup just often wasn’t there. Trader Joe’s really is a young(er) person’s job.
I am fortunate that I didn’t have to work at Trader Joe’s; the money I earned was extra for us (and mostly went into savings). I worked with another woman, a year older than me, in frankly worse physical condition, who cannot afford to leave her job at Trader Joe’s. I often think of other seniors who have to work to survive these days, sometimes doing strenuous physical work, and wonder how they manage. While my job stayed interesting and fun, working again really brought the reality of aging home to me as well as a sense of gratitude that Brett and I have been so fortunate.
The Occasional Nomads 