Council of Elders: Watching, listening, thinking from a distance



Eight men of a certain age are in chairs around a circular table in a family restaurant.
A Council of Elders.
It’s around 8:30 on a Thursday morning in Appleton, Wisc.
Five Elders dominate the discussion. Three are silent, interested observers and listeners, nodding and smiling and swiveling their heads as the talk continues.
Front page of The P-C,
June 5, 2019. Culver's story
is headlined "Coming Soon!" 
As I walked in, the discussion was about the local newspaper, and the placement of a story in Wednesday's edition about new custard flavors at Culver’s. The story was on top of the front page, and treated as what is called a "centerpiece" story (at least it was called a "centerpiece" when I left the paper five years ago).
They were not fans, and I don't disagree with their comments. Pretty sure Tom's Drive-In and JD's Restaurant and, oh, let's say, Arby's don't get the top-of-the-front-page treatment for menu additions.
But I’m a digital subscriber.
Clearly, the Elders are not digital subscribers.
A few of them got messages from relatives about the placement of the Culver’s story. At least one of them sent a relative one of those messages: This is the big news in Appleton today.
It’s 10-15 minutes later now, and they’ve cycled through politics, local news anchors, the NBA Finals, the Brewers, and now are on NBA salaries. Too much. Lots of money. Too few players. It’s nuts, I tell ya.
And don’t get them started about marijuana use in Wisconsin. We’re on a no-use island here in the Badger State, and our friends across the borders are getting the benefits.
Have you seen the greens fees at local golf courses? Some of them are out of control.
In an early version of this
column, I said the Culver's
story was on the top of the
June 6 (D-Day anniversary)
paper. It wasn't. Here's the
front page from the June 6
P-C. It was my error.
And I didn’t hear anyone say this, but ... you know ... fixed income and all that.
“Has anyone seen (couldn’t hear the name) lately?” one councilor asks.
“Yeah, I called him a few weeks ago. He’s riding his electric scooter around and doing OK,” another councilor said.
“He doesn’t see the need to come visit us?” said the first.
I get the feeling that eventually, they’ll have those quick conversations about everyone at the table this morning.
One of the quiet members speaks up about insurance coverage, a visit to a cardiologist, the inherent hassles, but a pleasant surprise in customer service. Another up-to-now silent member adds his experience about good customer service.
That leads the discussion to the present and the future of the area’s largest health care organization, and how some physicians are leaving. Why would they? Were they forced out? Aren’t they under contract? Does the new CEO even live here? 

I come to this restaurant occasionally, and others occasionally. 
Always by myself. 
Always for breakfast, and always to think and read. And listen.
It’s a good way to hear what’s on the mind of a certain segment of population, a good way to hear what their media-consumption and political philosophies are (mainstream and a bit left-of-center, respectively), and a good peek into the future.
Maybe.
I’ve recently joined the semi-retired group of Americans. Getting Social Security, drawing on retirement funds, working part-time, trying to understand what that “next chapter” will be.
Pretty sure of one thing: I don’t know that answer. 
Because I wasn’t prepared for last year.
Over the past year, my older brother died from brain cancer. My full-time job was eliminated, and I chose to not accept a different position at the same organization. 
We sold a house, bought a condo, and did some downsizing. That was the plan before the job was eliminated and my brother passed away.
I applied for jobs. Got turned down for some and took myself out of consideration for others. Guessing the 30-plus years of experience in journalism is more of a detriment than an advantage. Guessing some quick hiring-manager math puts my age in the early 60s, and well, ... what’s the point of hiring him?
I tried freelance writing, and I’m still doing some of it. But I left some of it behind because I didn’t think I was very damned good. 
The same time-management struggles I had during my professional career are exacerbated outside of that career because the full calendar is my call now. No one has a meeting scheduled or an assignment due or a question that needs answering right now. 
It’s just me.
I found a part-time gig as a shuttle driver for a local car dealer. I’m one of the guys who takes you home after you drop the car off for servicing, or picks you up when your car is finished. Been doing that for seven days, and so far, so good. Meeting a lot of interesting people with great stories. And it gets me out of our too-dark condo, into the little-bit-brighter world.
This is the start of that “next chapter,” apparently. Not to worry.
Gives me a little time to come here. Read. Think. Listen.

And now the Elders are discussing hearing aids. How to operate. The pros and cons of various models. They laugh, they compare notes.
It’s what they do, and what they share.
Meeting adjourns. “Good to see you all,” a councilor says.
They’ll be back.
So will I.