The Coasters

Many words in the English language have dual meanings. Some have three. Usually the first two meanings are related to either a thing or a person. When it comes to the third meaning, it is usually derived from a situation. Let me explain.....The term "coasters" means a set of discs that we place under a glass, to avoid a wet ring on a table. The name "The Coasters", is a 1950's singing group, most popular for it's hit songs, "Yakety Yak", "Charlie Brown" and "Poison Ivy". Now we come to the third definition of the word "coaster". This term refers to what most people, in their late 50's, hoped to be. They put in their dues and worked hard for 40 years and truly believed that at this point in their life, they would be "coasting" into retirement. Unfortunately, in this economy, this is not the case, for the majority of that age group. Some have lost their jobs and are living off of unemployment benefits and savings. Some, that did find jobs, are working long hard hours. Some that are lucky enough to remain in their long standing jobs, are being asked to assume more responsibilities, have worse work schedules and be trained for additional duties. The people that thought that they would be coasting through life at this point, still are. The sad part is, that they are doing so, on a roller coaster.