MY NEW CAREER

My world has now stabilized to the point that life is back to a level of near normalcy, but sadly for me, the words for these posts don't flow as easily. If you all have any requests on subjects, feel free to ask. Until then, I'll continue to regale you with tales and thoughts from my little world. Today's subject? So many of you have asked about my new career, I think I'll fill you in a bit.

My New Career

As I assume you are all aware, one year ago I was abruptly dismissed from my career of over 26 years when Mitsubishi closed the auto assembly plant here in Normal, Illinois. Not having been on the search for work for most of my adult life, I was largely at a loss for what to do. About a month into my forced retirement, a friend offered me a part-time temporary position in her office, and I gladly accepted. While the work was interesting and the people were great, I quickly realized that I was not cut out to spend eight hours a day in front of a computer, mentally or physically. But, the job helped supplement my unemployment income, for which I am very grateful. In my time off from working there, I busied myself applying at all of the big local employers, but to no avail. I even managed to get a couple of interviews at the largest employer in the county, but neither of those interviews panned out for me. Then, out of the blue, a friend contacted me, and asked if I would be interested in working at her local small business. While this offer was significantly less than I was making previously at the factory, it was on a par with what I was seeing for available jobs. I was a little leery of working for and with friends, but it appeared that my options were limited, so I took the plunge.

So, for those few of you who have not heard, I am now working at BCF (Bloomington Cycle and Fitness.) My trip to arrive there was...unusual, but I think necessary. I think maybe I needed to go through a period of being lost, cast adrift in the stormy seas of uncertain income and future, before I could appreciate what lies ahead of me. In the past the owners of BCF had mentioned that when I retire, I should come to work for them, but I never gave it a second thought as being my primary job! In the past, in my spare time I would occasionally stop by BCF just to visit, because, well, it’s a bike shop, and bikes is what I do! On one of those visits Caryn, one of the owners, suggested we have lunch and discuss my potential employment situation. Lunch with a friend? Chat about bikes? Sure! We met a couple times, talking about all of the things that one talks about in a typical job interview, and I was pleasantly surprised with what BCF had to offer for me! While the pay and benefits were not on a par with that which had spoiled me for my tenure at the factory, the offer was better than anything I’d gotten in the four-plus months of job searching. After much thought and discussion with my wife, I decided to accept the offer, and immediately turned in my two-week notice at the part-time job where I was working. I started at BCF the first Monday in April, and met with Caryn and Scott to finalize what my duties would be. I was a bit surprised when I was asked what I wanted to do there! I’ve never been in a work situation where I had any say in what my duties are, this was a change for me! After some talk, Scott gave me a shot at working in the shop, to test out my mechanical skills. If you know him, you are aware that he is quite particular about bikes and their functions, so I was more than a little nervous. He walked me through a new bike build, and then watched as I attempted to duplicate his process on the next bike. I suppose I did okay, since he turned me loose to build new bikes after that. I spent most of my first two months building one new bike after another, day after day, and the best part? I never tired of doing just that! Caryn expressed some concern that I may become bored doing the same thing over and over...she apparently didn't realize how repetitive my career at the car plant had been.

After a time, spring became summer, new bike sales waned, the showroom filled to capacity, so my work shifted from new bike builds to repairs. Some repairs are quick adjustments that I can do in my sleep, while some others are more challenging. Some are on high-end bikes, while many more are on department store bikes. When working on these, Russ (fellow mechanic) and I sometimes refer to ourselves as miracle workers, bringing old, dead bikes back to life. I admit that I take some measure of satisfaction when a customer leaves us a bike that no longer shifts, can barely stop, and is a filthy mess; and after an hour or so of laboring, a few drops of my blood and getting my fingers permanently greasy, the bike now can shift through all 24 gears and stops safely. That bike is likely functioning better than it did when it came out of the department store! I'm occasionally unimpressed with my results on these “budget bikes”, since my personal bikes tend to be higher-end machines that function flawlessly, and my test ride of some of these exposes some of these low-end bikes’ mechanical shortcomings, but the customers are generally unanimously pleased with the results.

This essay would be incomplete without mention of my co-workers. Most of my co-workers have been friends of mine for years, while a couple are newer acquaintances. The shop owners, Scott and Caryn, have been my friends for years, and I've done business with them for some time. They run the business in addition to working much of the day-to-day stuff. Out front on the sales floor are Joey, Mike, Ryan, Gwen, and Fletch. These guys really know their stuff; and man the sales registers, create media ads, stock the showroom, clean the shop, rearrange sales displays, etc. Back behind the wall in the mechanics’ area are Russ, Donnie, and me. We diagnose, estimate, order, clean, repair, build, etc. everything on your bikes.

So, today, instead of stumbling out of bed and going mindlessly and aimlessly to work at the factory as I had for years, I awake, brew a pot of coffee, (even go for a morning bike ride some days), do some chores around the house, and then drive to work at the bike shop! Words here don't fully express my satisfaction, but be sure that I look forward to the workday much more than I did.

So now, if you see me, my hands may be a bit grease-stained, and I may have a bit less cash in my wallet, but I definitely have more spring in my step, more joy in my heart, and a big dumb smile on my face.

Hope to see you at the shop...Cheers!