I laid in bed moping about how crummy business has been in April. Then I saw my beautiful wife of almost 54 years snoring slightly next to me and thought, “You fool. You are incredibly blessed. Start thinking about all of your gifts.” And so I did, and I had my topic for the day.
I was born in America at the end of World War II. My dad operated a machine shop with rows of Davenports and Acme machines. He was not marching in Europe or slogging through the Philippines. If my grandparents and great-grandparents had not taken steerage to Ellis Island, my parents might have been gassed in a concentration camp or starved in Russia.
I grew up in the Golden Age of American Jews, which hopefully is not coming to an end on college campuses today, with confused students and weak administrators.
I had another War to deal with, Vietnam, but instead of dying in the jungle like 60,000 of my peers, I went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina. I did basic training and then went back to Chicago to deal with riots that never occurred after Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were murdered in 1968.
I lived in prosperous times, married the woman I doubted I ever would meet, and had three bright and loving children who choose to stay close to us as we age.
I had the opportunity to work with my father and brother. I found the business challenging and managed to get along with them most of the time. I was healthy until 2003. Then I lost vision in my right eye with a series of retina tears and scarring.
In 2008, I had a severe heart attack that should have killed me. I had a completely blocked LAD artery that kills 99% of the people who have it, but 20 years of running gave me enough peripheral circulation that I survived long enough to have a stent installed. Three days later I was strong enough to survive quadruple bypass surgery and mitral valve repair. I walked out of the hospital after 13 days, 12 of them on a respirator.
And here I am, still buying and selling machine tools and businesses. I’m in the 24th year of writing a column for the magazine I always dreamed of owning, working with my son, Noah, and married to the woman I met when she was a 17-year-old freshman at the University of Michigan.
In 2016, my beloved Chicago Cubs won the World Series in seven games, and I still watch them whenever I have a spare moment. I have five grandchildren who actually seem to like me and a family that loves getting together for at least two vacations a year.
Business stinks in April of 2024, but somehow I’m alive. I live in a country I love, and I have the ability to work with words to write a blog that at least a few people continue to read.
I am truly grateful.
10 Comments
Thank you, Lloyd. Your business came up in conversation with John Pavlos and Ryan Wehrle yesterday. We named our second daughter after my childhood neighbor who survived a camp. She knows what I know of her namesake’s story, and I’m sending your story to her.
I have a lot of gratitude so it’s hard to just pick a few things! Today, I am grateful for my simple home, for my ability to be a caregiver for small creatures and for having co-workers and bosses who challenge me to discover new things and who always seem to have something interesting to share. Thanks for sharing your stories, Lloyd!
Thanks Lloyd,
I too have similar feelings. Business has new challenges in these inflationary times. But after 35 years of ups an downs we will figure out how to get through. I tell myself rather than worrying, make something happen. I am very gratefully for my employees, customers and family. Despite our woes, we do have things to be gratefully for.
Hang in there things will work out.
I enjoy reading your blog.
The shop is closed here this Friday afternoon but I am sitting in my office catching up on things that I never seem to get to when the rest of the crew is here during the week. Our machining business has been and continues to be slow and I find myself contemplating retirement … but not now because I don’t feel my business is worth what it was a couple of years ago. But I read your blog this morning and it reminded me to take a look around at all the blessings I have received. I am at the business my father started almost 50 years ago and we have been very successful most years. My father retired from the business about 20 years ago and passed away a couple of years ago. However I had several years of being able to work with him here and learn the ins and outs of a machining business. We have been very blessed to have so many good people working for us over the past 50 years. I feel fortunate that I am still very healthy so that I can continue to run the business, travel with my wife of over 30 years, enjoy my children and their activities, and celebrate this summer as we welcome our first grandchild. The list goes on and on of all the beauties and wonders of years past; so one short season of frustration with business seems like a small bump in the road in the big picture of life. Thank you for sharing your reflection on life and reminding me to open my eyes and look around.
Good post! I like positive people.
Every morning, I write down one thing that I am thankful for. I have found it to be a good way to start the day.
Amen!
I like the positive message!
I say thank you when I wake up in the morning and feel stable enough to walk to the bathroom without assistance. At night I mumble several thank yous for living the day. Usually I fill in a bunch more before I hit the pillow.
I got interested in machining when I was 10 yrs old. My Dad worked 36 years as a turret lathe operator for a machine tool builder. He died shortly after I turned 18. I eventually developed my own shop, mostly a 1 man show and have managed to survive in the business for 40+ years now. Things have gotten better after Covid, with supply chain issues, I’ve found people that need my skills. I wish my Dad could have been around to see my humble bit of success. Every day I feel so lucky to be able to be my own boss, and have always felt it’s not a job but a chosen life style. It’s also not a job….it’s an adventure. Luck be with you.
Glad you survived your surgeries and can continue on. Enjoyed your message. God never promised a continuous rose garden but grateful for the blessings he gives.