The other day ANOTHER of my Boomer Bro's called to say he'd been downsized. Dontcha just love that word DOWNSIZED?
Whenever I hear that word I get a mental image of a fractured fairy tale where some innocent schlub walks through a magical forest and stops to drink from a clear mountain stream. Then BOOM! he's an inch tall and a bullfrog's eyeing him for dinner.
When you think about it the real DOWNsized is kinda like that, too.
I'm beginning to think that this whole DOWNsizing thing is never gonna end. At least, I'm thinking it's not gonna end for us Boomers.
I have so many friends that've been DOWNsized that I've lost count - and I can count as high as 20 (when I take off my shoes).
Pretty soon I'm sounding like AM Talk Radio and even I don't believe my bullshit.
The other day I'm talking with a guy who makes his living telling people what their stuff is worth - let's just call him "Al the Appraiser".
Al tells me how hard it will be to do my appraisal because, "there haven't been any other sales in the immediate area for four or five years."
FOUR or FIVE YEARS.
So, I say to Al, "I know business has been slow, but don't you think things are starting to pick up? I mean, jobless claims are going down and..." Pretty soon I'm sounding like AM Talk Radio and even I don't believe my bullshit.
Al the appraiser makes a sound like air escaping from a slashed tire.
"Soon?" Al exhales. "Nah...I don't think I'll see a rebound in my lifetime."
My lifetime? Boomers, Al's 62.
Not everyone in the Boomerverse feels the same way as Al. But, their numbers seem to be growing.
So I have to ask this question.
"How long before the DOWNsized one-inch Boomers stop saying "Not in my lifetime" and start kicking some serious bullfrog ass?
How long?