Tag: baby boomer

I”m Back – Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen

It has been many months since I have posted an article and for that, I apologize. It is my goal to get back into the swing of things and post weekly on Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen.

In early 2018, I started a new job with one of the largest companies in the world, and it has been an exciting seven (7) months. Unluckily, the new job is the primary reason I have neglected my website.

Much has happened since the beginning of the year both good and bad, but I will not bore you with all the details. I will provide a quick overview of the year using it as an exercise to get the fingers and mind working.

We have not camped as frequently this year since I have been on the road much of the year but we are returning to the swing of things. Cloud 9 Ranch has been recovering from the devastating floods of 2017 which proves mother nature is all powerful.

My travels:

I have visited clients in Mississippi, Florida, Texas, Minnesota, New York, Georgia, California and have given up driving long distances to become a frequent flier on American and Delta airlines. Developing a new client base takes time and selling a service is not like selling cars.

Unluckily, I waste much time at airports now which was probably the primary reason I drove instead of flying, but I am improving my airport efficiency. I did get a passport, and I am TSA approved to decrease my time standing in line. All is good on this front.

Rental cars are no longer the norm when I travel, and I do enjoy the ease of using Lyft. I have not tried out Uber yet since Lyft has not let me down but I am sure I will use Uber soon. I am surprised that New York City is trying to limit Uber and Lyft, but it only takes a couple of open palms to fix that problem.

Occasionally, I had rented cars from Avis and Hertz with Avis being my favorite. I nearly ripped off the luggage rack when pulling into a motel parking garage in Minneapolis Minnesota but stopped before the car was damaged. I did

I have stayed at some enjoyable motels this year with my favorite being Hotel 50 Bowery in New York City. This motel also had good food and coffee which was a shocker since it is hard to find decent coffee at a motel. In a couple of weeks, I will be in the Raleigh/Durham area so hope that trip is successful.

My checked garment bag and suitcase finally died in Texas so I had to pick up a new one and it was a pain finding a combo piece of luggage and expensive. The new bag is doing well, and I can pack over 40 pounds in it without making the seams pop. Great investment.

My Homelife:

We lost our oldest Jack Russell (Buddy) at the age of 14, and it was tough to watch him cross the rainbow bridge. His companion of 12 years (Scrappy) is finally digging out of his depression but will not dry or wet dog food so we have developed a special diet for him that has improved his blood work.

In July, we brought in a new rescue and named her Desi Lu. She was returned to the rescue on multiple occasions even though she is only six months old, but we have made significant progress replacing bad experiences with good experiences. Roxy who is our two-year-old rescue is a great big sister and would have been a great mom.

Our daughter gets married in a couple of months, and she has done an excellent job at planning her wedding and honeymoon. We are anxious for the big day to occur. Work is going well for her, and she travels as well.

Likewise, our son lives on his own and manages a local butcher shop. He also works at the slaughterhouse and has achieved a personal goal of losing 20 percent of his body weight through hard work during 2018.

My bride of thirty plus years has continued to develop her para cord craft business, and we participate in farmers markets and events throughout the region to sell the product she produces.

I am sure I could go on, but it is time to wrap up this exercise. It is great to be back in the saddle and greater yet to be Fifty Plus going On Fifteen.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave feedback.

Jay

Why Do I Write An Editorial Blog – Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen

Jay on ATVRiding My ATV At Cloud 9
You may ask why someone would write an editorial blog and if anyone would read it when written since there are so many editorials out there. I cannot tell you why others do this but I can tell you why I do this.

The reason I blog is that I need a way to release my thoughts, concerns, etc., for personal, professional, and other reasons. How did I get here?

In 2015, my life went through a number of twists and turns that were unexpected but who can really anticipate twists and turns since they just happen. Some of these twists included:

  • My mother experienced a serious stroke during the Superbowl that resulted in her residing in a nursing home for the remainder of her life.
    • Weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly trips between North Dakota and Missouri the norm through all of 2015.
  • The company I worked for was sold to an investment company in March and with that sale, my position was significantly impacted even though I was asked to stay on for twelve (12) months.
    • Much travel was required for work between our Missouri and Illinois offices.
  • All other senior staff at the company I worked at were terminated by the end of 2017 except for myself.
    • I was the source of information for corporate history, information, and blame.

2016 ended up being a year of transition for me since the downhill trend continued from 2015.

  • The new management team and I disagreed on reporting accuracy.
    • Accurate reporting without massaging, tweaking, etc. was a must.
  • Decisions were made by the new management team with limited input from knowledgeable employees.
    • Changes impacting key competencies were made without being vetted.
  • I decided to move on and work as a consultant for other companies.
    • Increased flexibility to travel home to see my parents.

2017 rolled around and I decided to work as a full-time employee since I was not able to invest the time to develop a customer base for consulting so I had breaks between jobs.

  • I was hired by a local sales and service company to transition them from shrink mode to grow mode.
    • The company decided they did not want to go through the pain of transitioning so we parted ways.
  • After forty (40) years of working without a significant break, I decided to take some time to figure out what I wanted to do.
    • This is when I initially started to blog and research other options including franchises, full-time employment, sales, etc.
  • Being offered an opportunity to help develop sales and support for a small company that has a national presence, I decided to accept the offer.

Unluckily, in May 2017, my mother’s health continued to decline and she passed away after a long fight. I was devastated by her death even though I had years to prepare for it.

During this time, I also realized that I had not emotionally dealt with my professional life either and had to get right both personally and professionally.

I started writing a journal but over time that was not enough to deal with the issues listed above so I decided to write an editorial blog to:

  • Get right personally since I do not have my mom to talk to.
  • Share professionally since I do not have my long-established circle of employees, peers, etc.
  • Deal with issues, challenges, etc. regarding being fifty plus going on fifteen.
  • Provide a boost to those that are fifty plus since it is not a death sentence.
  • Vent as required.
  • What do you do to help maintain personal and professional stability?

I want to thank each of you for visiting this blog and wish you health, safety, and success. It is great being fifty plus going on fifteen.

Jay Patterson