Last Day at the Office - 2008-2019 (part 1)

Writing is hard and easy at the same time.  You can't rush it, and that's what makes it hard.  You can't rush it, that's what makes it easy.  You can't phone in good writing - you have to be present.   Turn on the pandora station Americana Radio.

Breanna, Amanda, lulu, Me and Lucas last day at the office.

Which reminds me of my quick witted son, while I was running a business, cooking some meals and juggling a half a dozen other things while home schooling him (I'm a single dad), and by week 3 I pulled back a little from the helicopter parenting as he transitioned into his online schooling.  But he wouldn't leave me alone, reporting back every victory, failure, problem, success, fart, tech problem, etc...  Eventually I reminded (kind way of putting it) him that it takes 10 minutes to do 2 minutes of work when I get interrupted every 2 minutes, and without a beat he says 'I just thought you'd be more present'.

I'm moving offices from Eldred NY, located in Southern Sullivan County on the border of Pennsylvania (just across the Delaware River) to Wurtsboro NY, which is more center to our projects, which include a lot of Ulster and Dutchess work.  The building I'm moving out of is historic in its own podunk way, and the building I'm moving in has the same podunk historical profile.

I'm moving out of what was a ramshackle garage that passed through several families and was best known as the garage and properties where the local school buses were housed and serviced.   And moving into what I guess is the former Elks Lodge in Wurtsboro where everyone I talk to got both drunk and lucky at.

We took that ramshackle garage over the last decade plus and grew it into a pretty fast office, warehouse, multi-building complex, with state of the art security, receiving and offices.  it's pretty comfy and it's pretty well-designed - organically, as we grew, truck by truck person by person.   Just kept adding on.  Grew from a little operation that barely could to a market leader, firmly entrenched, unmoved by imitators, copycats and competitors, global calamities and personal misfortunes.

Lucas used to spend a fair amount of time there, catching the bus, dropped off from school, midway point for his Mom to pick him up.

I spent a fair amount time there too.  For a guy who is rarely seen in the office before 9:30 and after 2pm these days, it's hard to imagine when I was there at 5am and well past dinner time, for years that turned into decades plus.  Every day of every week.  I definitely put in the time, if nothing else - it's hard to beat a guy who won't quit and isn't afraid to work.

Being from Lancaster County Pennsylvania, I had a baseball coach who told me well before I understood what he meant, - he told me I have a competitive advantage I hardly am aware of - I'm from Lancaster, which intrinsically means I'm honest (which is really just an under-rated quality) and I know how to work harder than most.  He was right.  Without a doubt.