Random thoughts for the day

As I write this I am sitting in the Chicago airport waiting on my next flight which will take me Denver for a sales meeting. By the time I post this I’ll be in Denver
I make 4 trips a year to Denver for sales meetings for the clothing company I represent for as we call it line breaks. This one is for Holiday 2010 Oct, Nov, Dec 2010 releases. I’ll leave here and start calling on accounts throughout my territory booking orders to ship in that time frame and writing fill in orders to restock the customers jeans that they sell every day. The booking orders are for fashion goods, which are tops, and limited release fashion jeans. This is a fun job, and a hell of a long ways from anything I ever thought I’d be doing as a kid growing up on the farm!
This company can be a big part of my financial salvation. Right now it barely pays it’s way, but I’ve more than doubled the business with them in the year I’ve carried the line. When I double the business again it will be a money maker.
I am the only independent rep in the US that this company has, as all of the other reps are what we call dedicated reps in the industry, in that they only carry one line and have a contract to sell that line exclusively. Being a dedicated rep usually has the benefit of guaranteed income (normally a draw against commissions), and benefits. As my area doesn’t have the volume to support a rep, they have agreed to hire me as an independent, which is what I prefer. Selling western tack and western wear in the northeast is kind of a tough row to hoe, but I enjoy the challenge of being self employed. Though I have considered going back to a corporate job lately as 2009 was so miserably tough on sales, but I’m still holding out, and may have a great opportunity in my immeadiate future.
A major company in our industry recently called and asked for my resume as they may be interested in hiring me as an independent to carry their line also here in the northeast! This could potentially add another 20 – 40K to my gross for the year! With major growth potential for the line. If I can add this line to my line up of companies that I represent I could get back on track to be where I need to be for gross earnings! Of course I called one of this companies top sales reps who’s been a good friend for years and told him I’d be interested in repping the line if they’d like me to (I already knew that they didn’t have a rep up here right now and it was really hurting their sales), he made a couple of calls and within the hour I got a call from their HR asking for my resume.
God is really good to us, because we really need a shot in the arm financially right now. We are a couple of months behind on a few bills, and it is incredibly stressful on a relationship to have bill collectors calling, and just always being behind the 8 ball.
Throw into this mix the uphill fight on trying to buy a farm when things are this tight and it gets a little tough at home!
Speaking of the farm, we have someone looking at our house today, so I am praying hard that they want to buy it, and that Don and his sister will be willing to take a chance on us by holding the mortgage!
Of course when all of this started early in 2009 all of our bills were paid and we had some money in the bank. But I’m too hard headed to give up! As a good friend of mine once said “you’re just another thick Mick!” of course he’s a hard headed Irishman himself, so he knows of what he speaks!
Of course one of the things that will help to make you successful as a salesman is unflinching optimism in the face of hopeless odds!
We are a LONG way from hopeless, we’ve just hit a bump in the road and we’ll get by it OK. Some days it’s really hard to remember that though.
Well enough for now, as the plane will load soon, I hope.
As I now have at least a couple of folks that read this, I feel like I’ve gained immensely in my wealth of friends. I will endeavor to keep faithful to my original post and let my words fall where they may, and share with you my unadulterated feelings. I feel sorry for any of you who have muddled along this far with my sad attempts at chronicling my thoughts.
Adios from Chicago!
Ok now it’s hello from Denver!
Since I finished up in the Chicago airport, when I arrived in Denver I had a couple of calls to answer.
The first from my buddy at the company I sent my resume to last week, no news yet, but it’s looking good.
Then my sister in law/real estate broker called and the folks who looked at our house yesterday, liked it and want to put in an offer!
Now we will really have to get down to the nut cuttin’ to see if we can get the financing done.
Lots to think about, enough to keep me up most of the night thinking.
But now it’s time to get ready to go to work for the day.
Adios, again.

Yesterday morning I was out in the driveway fooling around with my good saddle horse. He hasn't been ridden in a couple of months, so I had him out to brush him, tack him up and lunge him a bit and call it a day. When my friend Al drives by and see's me so he pulls in to visit and I was shocked!
Al is in his mid 80's no spring chicken, but has always been in really great shape, better than most guys half his age. Well when he got out of the truck, he was shakey and looking kind of frail.
He was in the VA a few weeks ago for bladder stones, and then he got some kind of bug, and it has really aged him, and it is a hard thing to see.
I don't want to let myself think of the road Al is on, the same one we all travel, but he is farther along it than I.
There are so many who have already gone down that road, my older brothers, Dad, Mom, so many. Some days the only way I can bear the loss is the knowledge that they are safe in Gods arms, and I try, but fear I fail at living a life that will allow me to be with them again someday.
When Al was here he mentioned that he was hauling horses for the Amish today and I offered to ride along and help him if he needed it, and of course he said he didn't, but then last night he called to tell me he was in the ER and they were checking out what was going on, and asked if I'd take his trucking job, so I'm off to move horses, and pray for my friend while I'm at it.

Well we met with Don on Thursday evening to talk about where we are going on our purchase of his parents farm............
I had seen him earlier in the week when we had a realotor go out to do a broker appraisal to determine fair market value. And we are well within the value of the farm with our offer.
The short story here is we (and that's mostly me - Cindy is enthused but tired of having the house for sale and costantly worried something could go wrong and we'd end up homeless - not as funny as it sounds, as we are pushing our economic envelope to the edge!) are manic in our desire to get the farm purchased. But with 2009 being an economic bomb for us, about the only way we can reasonably expect to purchase the farm is if Don and his sister are willing to take back the mortgage.
Which is exactly what I proposed to them on Thursday.
I offered to buy the farm at the agreed on price, with a small down payment, reasonable interest, and a twenty year payment plan.
Please God let them accept our offer!
The next big challenge will be to get our home sold, but we have dropped the price in the hopes of getting some interest generated there.
I hope we can get on the farm before spring is over, I have lots of plans in my head for fences, what we'd like to do with the house, and barns, where I might get a few cows to start a herd..........
But for now we wait.
and contemplate, and dream of furrows turned, and firewood cut, and gardens grown, and a life simpler, yet harder too............