As I was leaving my job yesterday, I noticed that the security guard who normally watches my building had balloons and cards all around his work station. Initially, I just assumed it was his birthday, and as I walked closer to him, I started to prepare my mini-happy birthday speech. But once I got closer to both he and his balloons, the word retirement jumped out at me, and I had to rework my speech. I looked over at the security guard, and he had a broad smile on his face.

Tracey(that's his name) is an older black man, and if I had to guess, I would say he's about 65 or so. I have a special place in my heart for older black men, because I am quite sure they went through some hardship that I couldn't possibly fathom. In fact, some mornings I would over hear him telling stories to people, and I would smile to myself as I headed toward the elevator. He just seemed like the kind of man, who I could sit around and drink Colt 45 with, while he told me how it used to be. I have two grandfathers living(although my father's dad died when I was just 3), but neither one of them were the let-me-sit-around-and-tell-you-a-story type men. Luckily for me, I have had a many men around me who more than filled that void.

Anyway, as I walked up to Tracey, there were at least 6 or 7 people around him wishing him luck during his retirement. I instantly wished that I had known earlier that he was leaving, because i would have bought him a card or something. Instead, I just waded through the crowd of people, extended my hand, and i said, "Good luck Tracey." He stopped what he was doing, looked me square in the eye, and said, "Thank you youngster". And that was it, I left out the building and looked back, and the mini crowd around him at re-formed.

During my commute home, I felt a certain degree of sadness about it all. I started wondering, has he been a security guard all his life? Was he able to enjoy himself, or did work consume totally? Does he have kids, can they take care of him, etc,etc. And then I snapped out of it and told myself, that he was a man who presumably retired on his own terms, and he was ready to tackle the next phase of his life whatever that was going to be, and I left it at that.

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding