The responses to my retirement post are a real eye opener.

[Pinback]

46. Tom Smykowski in "Office Space" resonated with me.

If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll remember him — hilarious supporting character played by Richard Riehle. The lead character, Peter, encounters Tom after he’s been partially paralyzed in a car accident. Tom tells Peter he’s ecstatic because, even though he’s rigged up with a huge metal bracket to stabilize his head and neck, he’s on permanent disability now and no longer has to work.

Employment is just that bad for many people, which is not so hilarious in real life.

In the excellent TV series Reservation Dogs, Bear’s Mom tells her sister she’d love to have “a small accident, nothing too serious, but enough to put me in the hospital for a few days. I just need a break.” Her sister says, “Oh, you mean like a vacation?”

Work is such a constant crushing psychological weight for so many Americans that illness and disability can actually seem like a rescue. Now, that is truly sick.