Thanks to Sydnie, Bill, Ellen, Danny, Deb, Zack and Margaret for their generous donations moving me closer to my fundraising goal.

My training has gone well in a very high humidity environment, and I will be moving from 5 miles per run to 6 miles per run this week, and then to 7 miles in a couple of weeks.

Seven miles is the Falmouth Road Race distance and I want to be ready and stay out of the medical tent. If you'd like to support me on my tenth run in a race that should be called the "Humidity Race." There is a link here.

Not sure you'd recognize me in the photo above, but I am wearing a pink singlet and in front of an 11-year-old girl.

This week I will turn 73.  I pretend that I'm not getting older, just better. Some will agree and others will disagree.

There might be a balloon, there will be a cake, and my wife and son will sing all three verses of the Doherty version of the song Happy Birthday. 

The first verse is the standard song you already know, followed by:

How old are you now,

How old are you now,

How old are you ____

How old are you now.

That is followed by:

Stand up, Stand Up,

Stand up and tell us how old you are

Stand up, Stand up,

Stand up and tell us how old you are.

I have no idea where those verses came from, but I do know in my family they have been sung since I was about 3 years old. 

As I was reminiscing (thank goodness for spell check), I took a look back at where I was and what I was doing in ten year increments. You should try it sometime, it was interesting. (Of course if you are younger, you may want to try 5 year increments to have more to remember).

Here are my thoughts in ten-year increments, with the warning that any one of these could become a full length Weblog this year. Also presented as evidence that I've lived a very interesting life.

Age 73: 2024

Still living in Massachusetts with a full time Consulting Practice where clients think I am smart because of the color of my hair and retain me to solve issues or advance agendas. I'm still running, but potentially on my last legs, or at least my last Falmouth Road Race. I've recently started appearing on podcasts in preparation for perhaps starting my own podcast later this year. So far, the folks in Canada and Australia think I'm an interesting guest.

Age 63: 2014

Living in Holden, Massachusetts and an Executive Director of the March of Dimes, and while there, the organization made a difference in the lives of moms and babies for almost 14 years. 

The biggest accomplishment of my career happened around this time when I was involved in the founding of the Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Improvement Collaborative to improve outcomes. Most hospitals in the state and hundreds of providers are involved and the work has been so strong that past Governors and Secretaries of Health and Human Services have embraced PNQIN's work. 

There are even members of the collaborative reading this right now. Oh yeah, and it now receives millions of dollars of support from a variety of government sources, and they still want me on their Board of Advisors. Cool logo don't you think?

Age 53: 2004

Living in Landen, Ohio, along with my wife and son, plus a brother, sister-in-law, sister and niece nearby, and playing plenty of wiffle ball in the best backyard in the neighborhood. (Brother and niece in the photo)

I had just completed my tenure as the President of Reading Restaurants, operator of the Perkins locations in the market where the concept was founded.

I still have the wooden desktop from one of the founder's offices in my office. I was in the middle of a short ‘career’ as the National Sales Manager for a food manufacturer selling to chain restaurants.

In my role, I flew around the country visiting with executive chefs and corporate headquarters of restaurant companies like Domino’s, Papa Gino’s, Village Inn and others. 

When I visited Massachusetts, where Papa Gino’s is headquartered, I would stay at a Residence Inn, buy a large cheese pizza the night before my flight back, freeze it in aluminum foil, and bring it back to Ohio to enjoy with the family. There is a chance that we really moved back to Massachusetts because of Papa Gino’s

Age 43: 1994

Living in Memphis, Tennessee and working in the Corporate Office of Perkins Family Restaurants overseeing Training and other related services for corporate and franchise stores.

This is where my decades of restaurant experience really paid off with interesting programs like ‘Menu Efficiency’ and ‘Dinner School.’ The first program standardized ingredients and simplified menu design with consistent portions and ingredients. 

The second program involved ‘Relay Training’ where the C-suite trained the Directors, and the Directors trained the Supervisors, and the Supervisors trained the Managers, and the Managers trained the employees. 

The Dinner School and the establishment of standards helped the concept significantly increase dinner sales in most stores.

Age 33: 1984 

Living in Marina del Rey, California and a new father after the birth of my son Joseph Edward Doherty, named after ‘Uncle’ and my Dad. A very pricey neighborhood between the harbor and the beach, both of which were visible from our apartment building. 

We ended up there because every other neighborhood we looked in the Los Angeles area had too much graffiti in too many places. 

I was working for, true story, “Wildflour Boston Pizza” founded by a guy from Massachusetts that had won the Los Angeles Times ‘Best Pizza’ award. 

My job was to standardize things, write the manual and procedures to make the concept franchise-able. Among other experiences, I learned to make pizza from a non-English speaking kitchen. Estefan, the kitchen manager, taught me “Pizza Spanish”. 

My tenure ended when I caught the bookkeeper stealing ($160,000) and had to fire myself because there was not enough in reserve to make payroll. Not the only time I've been fired, but the first time I did it to myself.

Age 23: 1974

Living in Leominster, Massachusetts. Only eight days away from marrying the girl of my dreams. I had moved into our new apartment without any furniture except a bean bag chair and a TV. I slept on the chair and watched TV when I was there.

I was working 60 hours a week at a local McDonald’s as a manager trainee after completing five years at the University of Massachusetts. Not how I planned it, but eventually it worked out pretty well.

At the time, I was working six nights a week, and my fiancé was working six days a week, and we rarely had the same day off. Could be a reason we are still together 50 years later.

Key memory: We didn't have a couch and one day my wife noticed someone had discarded one in the dumpster. It didn't look bad so big, strong, Ed picked it out and hauled up two flights of stairs and it remained our couch for about a year.

Age 13: 1964

Living in Braintree, Massachusetts. I had just completed my first season of JV Baseball at East Junior High School. 

I was a catcher who couldn’t reach second base with a throw on a base stealer, but I did play 2/3 of an inning in left field that season. The whole season.

My dream of playing for the Boston Red Sox was still alive. 

(Read about No Crying in Baseball)

Age 3: 1954

Living in Nuremberg, Germany. My dad was part of the post-World-War II occupation US Army that oversaw the Nuremberg War Trials.  

We lived on a military base. I had a nanny I couldn’t stand and my new baby sister who was born there.

What a difference ten years can make. Looking back is fun. Can’t wait until next year.

FROM HISTORYFACTS.COM

“Happy Birthday” was originally known as “Good Morning to All.” Written in 1893 by Patty Smith Hill, a director at the Louisville Experimental Kindergarten School in Kentucky, and her sister Mildred J. Hill, an educator and musician, the song originally appeared in a book of music titled Song Stories for the Kindergarten — at least, the melody did.

The tune was actually titled “Good Morning to All,” and it was meant as a cheerful classroom greeting for young children, with the lyrics: “Good morning to you/Good morning to you/Good morning, dear children/Good morning to all.”

By March 1924, the melody appeared in a songbook with altered lyrics opening the second verse: “Happy birthday to you.” It was published with incremental lyrical changes over the years, and by 1933, 40 years after its inception, the song was widely known as “Happy Birthday to You.” 

"Optimistic"

Ed Doherty