Ch-Ch-Changes

As usual, women get all the attention.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining here. Most of the time,
I think drawing attention to yourself results in "The nail that gets the hammer", rather than "The squeaky wheel that gets the grease".
Stay away from me with that damned hammer.

But gals do get the attention...
Pre-mentrual stress. Post-natal depression. Menopause. Post-menopausal stress. Hormone therapy. I'm sure I've missed a few. No wonder women have difficulties... everyone wants to jazz 'em up with some chemical in order to cure one or more of the listed problems.

I'm a little fearful of sharing this with you, 'cause in doing so I'll be showing weakness. But I've known you now for what?... all these years anyway, so here goes...
I'm amazed at how much I cry these days.
Now I'm not talking about "cryin' " as in being miserable. I'm talking about cryin' as in melancholy.
I'm talkin' about cryin' when I realize how charmed my life has been. I'm talkin' about bein' so moved by how beautiful life can be that the tears flow.

Get a few adult beverages in me and this character (flaw?) has always burbled to the surface...
With a buzz, I've always been happy and sentimental. Tears come SO easily.
But as I've aged, that character (flaw?) no longer needs an alcohol prompt to appear.
An example you say? Okay-

He came to work in our organization in 1994... little guy, big smile, talked funny 'cause he was raised in Bristol, England. I liked him immediately. He took the spot opposite me on the same shift. He hated working nights, so he was a perfect shift partner.
For 15 years now we've worked this way. I've watched his son, same age as mine, grow into a fine young man. I've watched and counseled to the best of my ability when he went through a divorce. I've put up with the fact that he leaves his candy wrappers behind in the helicopter because I'm aware he is "picking up my socks" or something else when I head for home and he never complains about it.

Like many of us, he grew tired of working in cold weather. He's been vacationing in Florida for several years, and has been networking down there, checking the possibilities. He found a company base in Southern Florida that needed a pilot and interviewed for that position. He emptied his locker and took his pictures off the wall two days ago and will start training in his new aircraft, the EC135, next week.

Fifteen years I've worked opposite this guy.
It's been somewhat like a marriage.
Now it's a lot like experiencing the loss of a spouse.
And here come the tears.

I'm hopeful this cryin' stuff can be attributed to the fact that I'll turn 63 in a few days.
I'm sure there has to be such a thing as male menopause...
I'm goin' surfin' to find out more about it when I push the "Publish Post" button!