I know that we’re very focused on television and movies here but on occasion I do actually watch news programs on TV. There happened to be a segment on NBC Nightly news with Lester Holt on the other night that I had been meaning to share. It’s the story of Florence “SeeSee” Rigney and her 70-year-0ld job as a Registered Nurse. How in the world could she hold this job for that long? Simple, she’s 91 and still going strong today.
She’s currently the oldest nurse in the United States. SeeSee says, “I do have something to get up for in the morning and I do like to interact with patients and give them what comfort and what help I can do.” It seems that the only things that slow Rigney’s speed at setting operating tables is a bad knee. However, slow might not be the right word to describe Florence.
On a personal level, I was so glad to see that this hospital, despite her age continued to let her work there without discriminating and pushing her out the door. A lot of businesses in this country now want to go young and cheap in their workforce.
Sometimes we don’t realize that it’s job like these that actually give the elderly reason to go on living. When you do what you love studies have shown you’ll live longer. Kind of makes you think twice about the conventional definition of retirement doesn’t it? I’ve always considered retirement to be the “option to not work anymore,” not this end all be all of transitioning to the end. Looks like Florence and I share the same definition.
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