Retirement???

I'm taking a few days off this week and just being a bum -- well that's probably not an accurate description. I wonder if this is what retirement feels like. Yesterday I worked on a couple of minor projects, did some mowing, bought some parts for a repair job this morning, and then just "piddled" around the house. I played the guitar and the fiddle some and read and took a nap. This morning I got up and completed the repair job that I bought parts for yesterday and then mowed and edged the lawn. I plan on relaxing the rest of the day. I may read, nap, or blog....

Tomorrow I may take on another minor project and then I plan on golfing on Thursday morning. I'm not much of a golfer but it can be enjoyable occasionally. This weekend my son is traveling to Midland, Texas, to "Rock the Desert" which is a 2-plus day Christian music festival. While he is in Midland, my spouse and I plan on heading up to Raton, New Mexico, for the weekend. We've not spent much time in that part of New Mexico. It is usually just an area we pass through on our way elsewhere. I've heard there's some good fishing in the area and I plan on scouting it out. Mainly though, we just plan on relaxing for a couple of days.

Raton is probably the nearest point from us to the mountains. It's only about 3 1/2 hours drive from here. That's not bad. It is close enough that we someday might want to build a small cabin getaway. You never know.

We are expecting high temperatures of 100 degrees or more for the rest of the week. Any projects will need to be done in the mornings and the afternoons will be better spent indoors. I've had my share of working out in the hot sun and wind. If I can avoid it, I will.

Retirement is something
We all work toward
Although it is a point that I think is misnamed.
It is really a time of self reward
Where we decide that it's our time to choose

Just what it is we do each day
Rather than punching someone else's clock.
For many people it is a time to quit
But for others it's opportunity's knock
That starts them on the path

Of their own choosing rather than
Jumping at the whim of a boss.
It is a time to enjoy what you've worked to acquire
Or you will be at a loss
And slowly drift into the nursing home.

I look forward to the change that is signaled
By what we call retirement
Although I will never stop working or
Achieving because I believe we are meant
To be productive as long as we are able.

Howdy From Denver!

Hello from the great state of Colorado. I'm in the mile-high city of Denver after making the drive up from Amarillo. They may have shot the Emperor of Colorado yesterday, but there are still plenty of crazies here.

Part of that drive is enjoyable, and part of it is the pits. From Amarillo to Pueblo is not bad. Once you get to Pueblo on I-25, the traffic starts to pick up and gets worse all the way into Denver where it becomes a parking lot. In the future I think I'll approach from the east. It usually isn't too bad.

From Clayton to Raton, New Mexico, is my favorite part of the trip. This year the grass is green and seems to stretch forever. I've always been one to count the antelope that I see across that stretch of approximately 90 miles. Today, I counted in excess of 200 of them that I could see clearly and "think" I saw another 50 or so. They have really thrived in that open stretch of country.

The trip took a bit longer than usual due to stopping to maintain a cell phone signal at various points along the way. Just because I'm traveling doesn't mean that business stops. In fact, I generally have to allow extra time in my traveling itinerary to accommodate calls. Most of the time they are routine, but today I had a great call from a potential customer. He was referred to us by an existing customer (referrals are wonderful). I spent nearly one-half hour on the cell phone while parked beside the highway educating him on what we do in our business. He had a number of misconceptions that needed clarification.

Misconceptions are something that every salesman needs to learn how to handle. The best way that I've seen to approach it is by asking lots of questions. You have to understand where the prospect is in his thinking before you can begin to fill in the gaps and clear up misunderstandings. Questions also get the prospect to loosen up because they get to talk. Everyone wants to say what they know and feel that it is important. That's why God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth. We need to learn to listen at least twice as much as we speak. One of the primary tools the salesman needs to develop is the skill of listening.

Tomorrow is meetings. These are not the most productive kind of meetings -- they're more political. Committee meetings. I like meeting with customers -- not indecision non-makers. The call today was fortuitous (I like that word) because I was able to fill in an open time-slot tomorrow with a meeting with the prospect that I talked to today. Wish me luck.