Pioneer and my Grandpa rolling with the times

Decided to take a Reader’s Digest angle on my blog this week. Meaning kinda sappy, but I can be like that sometimes. Okay, a lot of the time. Anyway, get your kleenex and make yourself a bowl of chicken noodle soup. It's time to look on the bright side of hard times.

Recently, I’ve been using my digital voice recorder to interview my Grandparents about their lives – and, not surprisingly, a lot of what they’ve said resonates with the challenges we all face today.

The first question I asked my Grandparents was what keeps them so exuberant about life after 70+ years. Live until you die was my Grandma’s answer. Downhill skiing in neon one-piece snowsuits every Friday is just one example of how my Grandparents live this motto. Granted, my 82-year-old Grandpa needs help up when he falls on the ski hill, but he’s gotten good at laughing at himself.

Everyday resilience like this is more important than ever. Everyone from Panasonic to Sony is facing layoffs and quarterly losses. Recently, Pioneer, the 5th largest distributor of plasma sets, is calling it quits on their plasma distribution. Discouraged by mounting costs and a wilting demand, Pioneer has closed the door on their Elite plasmas – leaving 10,000 workers out of jobs and a series of evocative billboards in their wake. Both Pioneer and the 10,000 people who lost their jobs face serious changes. I’m more curious about how everyone will get back up rather than the fact that they’ve fallen. Maybe a few cartwheels followed by a huge leap of faith are more in order than ever before.

Which brings me back to my Grandpa. The image of my Grandpa, who used to be head manager of several saw mills in Montana and Idaho, sprawled on the skill hill with a slight smile on his face seems appropriate for the times. You've gotta get out and and live, which inevitably means falling -- and inevitably getting back up.

There’s my Reader’s Digest fix. Until next time, take care . . .