The inconvenience of retirement
Today, I was once again reminded of an inconvenience of retirement: I no longer wear a badge. This has been true since 5/1/2004, excepting those times when on assignment for the American Red Cross during which I wore either my Red Cross badge or my FEMA Affiliate badge - which time was short in comparison.
What made those badges so valuable to me in my daily life? Not only did they identify me to others. Not only did they allow me access to spaces otherwise closed to the public. They gave me a handy place to leave myself notes. She who has no memory needs a lot of reminders!
I disliked badges/key cards as they always got in my way. Didn't matter if they were on a neck lanyard, or a pull type attached to a belt buckle, they managed to be inconvenient and get caught up in many things. Probably could not have kept a sticky note on them if I'd tried.
ReplyDeleteDifferent strokes for different folks. In listing how you wore badges, you reminded me of my experience with my very first badge: Boeing, 1959. One day at work a drafter asked me if I had a problem. He was pointing to a safety pin that was pinned to my dress in the upper, left chest region. Oops! I had failed to put my badge on that morning. Being designed to be clipped to the chest pocket of a man's suit coat or shirt, the way I came up with displaying it in the proper location of my body was to clip it to a safety pin attached to my dress. Yes, those were the days when women in the office did not wear pants and, even wearing a skirt was little help as women's blouses had precious few pockets.
ReplyDeleteDon't know why the guard didn't stop me for lack of badge at the gate, other than there having been so few women that the guards knew us all.
The Nazis tatooed a number inside concentration camp occupants' forearm skin as ID.
ReplyDeleteThere are IDs and then there are IDs.
DeleteThe ideas behind the yellow Jewish badges and the numbers on the arms of interns in concentration camps were/are repugnant to me and millions of others.
That is funny, I have stuck Post It notes to my work ID to remind me of something for a meeting or other "important" ideas.
ReplyDeleteReally old people like me paved the way for you youngsters. It must have been a good idea: it worked!
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