These are interesting days, weeks, and now it appears months. When will all these trials and tribulations end, what will our lives look like then and from that day forward? There is no simple answer and assume there are plenty of experts in think tanks around the world working on this extremely complex problem. I need to be transparent in what I am about to write and maybe that is to ease my feelings of guilt about the what is happening around me. Like many of you, Gordy Taylor is a “boomer,” at age 74, one of the oldest of my generation that once had almost 80 million members. For me, full-time work began at Western Illinois University in September 1970 and didn’t end until May 2008. I always had a job, was never fired nor was that possibility ever on my radar, had excellent health benefits, and a guaranteed pension plan that is fabulous for me but certainly not for the taxpayers of Illinois. That’s just the way it is which takes us to the present.
The Taylors continue to reside in Macomb and will probably spend most of our 4th Quarter here. We appear to be in good health, our kids are “hanging in there,” and we have six wonderful grandchildren (aren’t they all). The house is paid for, we own a couple of cars, and we do a little traveling. That’s the world of Diane and Gordy Taylor as I sit here in front of the computer.
We have basically been in our house since March 25th except for periodic trips out for groceries, banking, gas, and carryout meals. In the world of coronavirus, we are blessed. Yes, we can’t visit our kids and grandkids but thanks to FaceTime, texting, and Zoom, we remain connected. Otherwise, our world has not changed all that much. Yes, there are inconveniences like lack of social interaction, but we have each other, we can take walks, the mail carrier stops by six times a week, we eat well, and oh, lest I forget, we have cable tv. We have binged on Ozark, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Mindhunter, Tiger King, Succession, and Yellowstone. There is no Dateline or 20/20 that has escaped our viewing desires, and we do watch the evening news. The reality of the pandemic is that our lives have not changed all that much. That is difficult for me to type, but it is true.
However, such is NOT the reality for others. Last week, I sent the following to my daughter and two sons: “You guys have kids and that has to be tiring. You are suddenly teaching at home. You wear masks whenever you leave the house. I’m sure you worry about job security. Is the virus lurking right outside your front door? Will you ever have another quiet alone moment? Is your company financially secure? Have you saved enough money? Will the day care stay open? How do you manage working at home? When will this all end?” These are real concerns, and there are certainly many more.
Regardless of which governors do what and when, the nation needs much more testing. I don’t believe the end is near and simply will not be until a vaccine is found and that is probably at least a year away. There is much havoc, soul searching, and uncertainty in our lives. We have seen nothing like this since 1918. Regardless of when the “curve” evens out, there is much pain ahead. Our parents had the Depression and World War II and our generation Vietnam. However, our children have had to endure 9-11, the Crash of 2008, and now this–the VIRUS.
Boomers were raised believing their lives would be better than that of our parents but those days are way back in the rear view mirror. Generation X, Millennials, and what follows must deal with a world that will never fully recover from all this–crushing debt, the environment, political upheaval, health care, and so much more. The world we live in will be challenging in ways we cannot yet even imagine. Let’s hope Mother Teresa was correct when she said, “You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together we can do great things.”
All of us must hope our leaders are up to this challenge. In all organizations, managers who do things right can hopefully be found but what is needed today are leaders who do the right thing and that is, in times like this, a lonely place to be. Winston Churchill was an excellent wordsmith. In 1940 during the bleak early months of the war against Hitler and his mighty war machine, Churchill spoke of what it would take to attain VICTORY and it is apropos to the present. “What is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory–victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival.” Our road to success as we fight this battle is simultaneously, as simple and complex as that.
There is a beginning and an end to all of this for those living in the 4th Quarter of our lives. We need to enjoy each day to the utmost because as some sage philosopher once wrote, “You never know when you’re going to have your last good day.” That resonates with me. To those of you who have lost or will lose a loved one to this awful monster called Covid-19 or for any other reason, I am reminded of these words shared by close friend, Dr. Aaron Stills, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” The day will come when the coronavirus will be a sad memory but until then we all need to pull together and support one another during these perilous times. Our children are on the front lines of this battle. I wish them all the strength and fortitude they will need, family by family, to attain VICTORY.
Gordy and the Fourth Quarter 