To Be or not to Be…Social?

So I’m retired, but not in an Al Bundy-ish kind of way. I don’t stay home all day suited up in a bathrobe with a remote in one hand and a frosty beverage in the other with my feet up on the ottoman trying to stay awake watching ESPN or whatever.

In fact, I’ve got a lotta stuff going on. My original template broke down into easy to distinguish and schedule categories. The plan went something like this: a long walk to Peet’s Coffee, a one hour read, a long walk back home, golf, and author a book. My vision seemed so simple and carefree.

Then some stuff happened. The day after Escrow closed and all the dotted lines got signed, I received a letter from Southern California Edison; and it wasn’t in recognition of my 46 years of loyal customership (I acknowledge I didn’t have a choice.) Starting with May 2020 and the launch of that pandemic thing, I hadn’t received a statement. To my total dismay, my tab had run up past $13K. The California Public Utilities Commission, SCE, and I have been ballroom dancing ever since. I’m representing myself and you can’t have the perfect client every day. After about 20 months, I’m told we may have a judgment in December.

And BS (Before SCE), I had already committed to continue posting quotes and video commentary M-F going out to members of the American Academy of Clear Aligners (AACA), the most productive Invisalign group in North America. I also steer content to the AACA journal and submit a quarterly commentary. And yeah, I still contribute articles to Arcadia Patch.com, a local daily online newspaper.

One day, one of my favorite people EVER, and Temple City Dental Care Team Leader/co-worker of 22 years asked if we could start a business together. And Dani and I will soon be training dental assistants like they’ve never been trained before. How do you not say yes to someone you’d adopt if you could?

After being an innocent interested observer of two failed attempts to successfully establish an AACA study club this side of the beach and LA City Hall, I just couldn’t take it anymore. Invitations go out this week for an upcoming nine study club meetings I get to organize and lead in 2024. Did I just hear somebody say, “Sucker?”

I’m also part of a Facebook Group called “All it Takes is a Goal.” The meetings are year-round, and engagement is emphasized. The leader’s an accomplished writer, who is funny and down-to-earth. I swipe quotes from him daily.

And then, there’s social media. My quotes show up on Instagram stories and reels. I also post everyday stuff like coyotes and peacocks walkin’ down the street, beautiful sunsets, and books I’m reading surrounded by the usual table landmarks like sunglasses, the USC key chain, and a Peets coffee cup.

In my spare time, I still manage to walk 6-8 miles per day (even while recovering from a certain robot-assisted surgical repair job), read for an hour, and think about that book I continue to overthink about.

For reasons that escape me, I joined LinkedIn years ago. For years, I rarely visited the business platform; when I did visit, it was mostly as a scrolling voyeur. But as I noticed that people rarely read in Arcadia (maybe just Arcadia Patch) I began “linking” the pieces to the platform. The response to the various articles grew over time. The feedback was encouraging. I also found smart people to follow, as well as some old friends.

But lately things have changed. I love it when people do some research and ask for a connection. Great. And these days, way more often than before, the would-be connector you’ve never met opens with a pitch. Often, the pitcher has done no homework. Total strangers are willing to build a new website, guarantee 100 new patients per month (at least they know I’m a dentist, but retired), take over my finances, or just be my friend and communicate more effectively on another platform. Huh?

And if I were a lot younger, wasn’t so suspicious, and didn’t mind engaging with attractive women probably taken for my granddaughters, I could probably become the all-time greatest LinkedIn sucker in Pasadena (or at least Madison Heights) history.

Over the years, my once stellar Smilin’ Jack, Mr. Congeniality, Most Interesting Dentist in the World (real nicknames and a book title) persona has faded at a clip slightly less than my filter. So here’s the thing, I don’t do deals with people I’ve never met. And I don’t switch platforms to more comfortably engage ladies I haven’t met who want to be my friend “…so that we can learn from one another and grow.” As I’ve shared, Smilin’ Jack would’ve probably been more “Stay on my lawn” but we didn’t have an internet way back then in The Day when I could still claim middle age.

Last week, a platform changer claimed we had a long-term relationship after exchanging a few LinkedIn comments; she wanted to leave her career to think about becoming a dentist…and know how I was doing multiple times every day. Another interaction included an ultimatum from a first-time deal pitcher; it was swing at the pitch or forget about it! Turns out, I’m way more forgetful than Mr. Congeniality used to be.

So sometimes, on LinkedIn, it’s not so easy being The Most Interesting Dentist in the World. If some of the participants only realized Jimmy Carter and I both started our executive jobs in 1976, there’s a chance I could be way more congenial. My response to the inevitable next platform jumper will be, “I saw the Godfather on the big screen.” When the predictable response is “what’s the godfather?” I’ll close with, “I was in high school when Miley Cyrus’ dad was born.”

C’est la vie.