Middle Age Crossing

Middle age, however you prefer to define it, if by a specific range of years, can be quite convoluted in its path. While it's been a few months since we've moved into this home, we are still sorting out boxes and where to put things. Last Wednesday morning I saw three books resting on the kitchen table. Two of them are Shutterfly photo books. One is a trip from Italy and the other is my farewell book from NBC, put together beautifully and painstakingly heartfelt by my weather & traffic together friend, Lauren Scala.

I had not seen this book probably in at least 2 years or longer. So I grabbed my morning coffee and started sifting through the pages and pictures. Some of the really nice words people left behind truly warmed my heart reading them again. If you know me by now, of course some minor waterworks were beginning. Or as Jerry Seinfeld once said in tearing up, "what is this strange salty discharge coming from my eyes?"

It brought back some nice memories, more so from the people, many who are still like family to me. As I couldn't spend my entire morning doing this, I moved on to start getting ready for my day of work at WPIX-TV. As is part of my routine I'll look at some weather guidance on the computer, as well as the present conditions, to get an idea of the forecast before heading into the office.

I also like to catch part of a newscast around midday just to make sure I'm not surprised about what's going on in the world around me when I step outside into it. Honestly, it could be any station, it often depends on the time I look in as to if I catch WNBC, WABC or WCBS midday newscasts.

On this day, I caught the end of the WNBC 11AM news. At the very end of the newscast they announced a very special 25th anniversary on air for one of the anchors at the station. It wasn't just any anchor, it was one I spent close to 20 years with every morning, Darlene Rodriguez. The timing was funny, because earlier as I said, I was looking through the WNBC memories photo book, in which she was a large part of throughout.

Onto work that afternoon at PIX11. One of the long time anchors there, Tamsen Fadal, was leaving after 15 years on the air at PIX11. Actually even longer in NYC TV, if you added in her time at WCBS. Her last day was the Friday coming up, and I needed to record a short goodbye to be played on the air that day.

I knew of Tamsen for years in New York TV, but only recently started working on the same show with her. Always the consummate professional and a woman who carried herself with grace and class. She is elegant and smart and with only 6 months working together, I was more impressed about her deciding to take on new and exciting adventures with her career and life. A bold move, but a very inspiring one. I didn't build up enough history to necessarily have that melancholy farewell. All good-byes are tinged with a little sadness however, as it still signifies the end of something.

To add to that, later that Thursday evening a party was being thrown for the retirement of an amazing photog at PIX11. John Frasse had been with PIX for 41 years. Something I don't think many in moving forward will ever accomplish again in this industry. He was loved and respected by everyone, and received a very warm and hearty farewell from the station. It was nice to see and well deserved.

John was another guy I didn't get the chance to spend too much time with. I did however get to go out in the field and record a couple of my first segments for PIX with him. Clearly he was sharp and had great vision to see the story, often before the talent had played it out in their own heads. Over the years I've worked with maybe a couple of other people with this type of ablity. It's like having a photog and a field producer all wrapped into one. Believe me, when you are out reporting in the field, having someone like that is priceless.

In addition, John was a guy who came to my aid when in the middle of our live show, New York Living, I developed a bloody nose alongside my partner Marysol Castro. Frasse, as he was called, immediately came to me and instructed me what to do to stop the bleeding. He checked on me like I was his patient for the next hour or so. Just a special guy. He loves to surf and I hope he gets the chance to do what he enjoys most for many years to come. When I asked him how he felt, he said "nervous."

This really speaks to the purpose of this post. However, to throw in another aspect of it, one more thing happened that night.

On my way into the Frasse party, I ran into a long time co-worker who's career path had been oddly similar to mine, Jim Watkins. Jim was also saluting Frasse as he worked at PIX11 for many years. I had not seen Jim in roughly 15 years.

The history between both of us is strangely coincidental. I met Jim at WLWT in Cincinnati where we both worked for the NBC affiliate. Jim then left Cincinnati and went to the WB station in Philadelphia. Literally 3 months later, I ended up taking a job at the FOX affiliate in Philadelphia. After about a year in Philly, I got a chance to come home to New York and WNBC. My first official weekend was January 4-5, 1996, although I had filled in a bit prior to that.

Guess who was sitting in the anchor chair my first Saturday evening newscast at WNBC? Mr. Jim Watkins. To take it further, after leaving WNBC, Jim landed at PIX11 and anchored the news for many years alongside the legendary Kaity Tong.

Well....well....after leaving WNBC where did I end up, but of course PIX11. I guess it was destined to happen based on the past.

Jim and I had become very close at WNBC as most weekends we would have dinner together between the 6 & 11PM newscasts. In fact he even came to my home a couple of times. After he left, we would occasionally meet for dinner, but then my schedule went to mornings and we were on completely different ends of the spectrum of time and we just saw less and less of each other.

So with that being said, seeing him that night, on top of all the other emotions going through my head the past 48 hours, it was just the cherry on the sundae.

The focus of this blog, is that all of these people are post 50 years old. Some further along than others. It just hit me though, how varied ones position can be at this point in life. Just look at the little slice I gave you. One person is still moving along strong on the same path of the last 25 years. Another has decided to leave that life behind and take a chance and follow a new passion. Then we have someone who's in retirement and seems at peace and content and another just knocking on the door of hanging it up and is a bit nervously anxious.

The point is, middle age and latter middle age, can take on many shapes and directions. There is no cookie cutter path. For some it may be clearly defined how they slide into those golden years. For others they may want a complete change. Yet for another group, they may have to continue working later than they want due to circumstances.

So while we all have to confront aging, our response to it can be quite varied. If you're lucky enough to have good health personally, as well as your loved ones around you, anything is possible. Middle age and beyond can be a very exciting time of growth and discovery. Don't let the fact that the doors of your past are closing discourage you from opening up some new doors to your future. At the end of the day, each one we get, is a gift. Don't insult the gifter. "Live and let live!"

Until next time........Sunshine Always!