A few facts (and a little interpretation) to bring you up to date,

I started with B Dalton late in 1972 at Store 75, Mall of Orange, in California.  Living on Newport Beach, working the late shift, those were idyllic times by the sea!  My store career was interrupted by a 2½ year stint as a Random House rep.  In January 1978 I joined the Merchandise Department, taking a new title buying position open due to Mr. Rogart's promotion.  In the fall of 1981, I moved to Pickwick and spent 5 years there, until  Dayton Hudson pulled the plug, in preparation to offering B Dalton for sale.
As part of the termination process, Boake Sells offered to have a conversation with several of us to help us "evaluate our future options".  Mostly, I think, he wanted to tell a couple of us that we were not cut out to be retailers.  Long before, my dad had advised against a career in retail.  I hadn't listened to him and so resisted Boake's advice too. Unfortunately, his advice proved prophetic and my next two positions ended unhappily.  

Then I landed a sales job with McGraw-Hill and did that for a couple of years.  Started the 90s by trading traveling weekly for a Sales Management position at Lerner, a library publisher in Minneapolis.  After 5 years, traded that one for a similar position with Econo-Clad books, another library oriented vendor.  The new century brought a new position in a new town, off to the south, Nashville.  It was a little scary there, watching my two daughters learn about the Civil War from textbooks calling it the War of Northern Aggression.  

And like so many B Daltonites before and after me (with the notable exception of Jim Chandler!) my time at Ingram was a short/long three years.  Returned to library publishing with Gale and moved my base to Illinois, eventually to Chicago.

As I reflect back on the past 35 years, I realize that Boake was right.  I was not cut out for retail, at least not in an executive role.  Nor was I really cut out for management even though I spent many relatively successful years at that craft with publishers and wholesalers.  When I got my Masters degree back in 1970, I wanted to be a therapist but thought I should get some real life experience first.   I guess by now one could say, I have managed to accrue plenty of real life experience!  And finally, at age 62, I've discovered a profession that really turns me on, one at which I excel and one that has unbelievable rewards every day.  I am a life coach.  I help people go through life transitions and discover what they really want to do with their lives, regardless of what they or others think they should do.  I also help people in leadership positions understand how their success is in large part determined by how they use their energy. (Energy here meaning that "vibe" that people feel from others rather than the fuel to run around the block.)

And speaking of running next weekend I hope to complete my 53rd marathon.  I love running and have completed over a dozen races at distances beyond 26.2 miles.  That about wraps this entry.  I hope to see everyone in a few weeks.