The Common Sense Cowboy's Guide to Life : Stories from the Old Guy at the End of the Bar

“Never discount an old man in a profession where people tend to die young. This book has more wisdom in it than any four year degree.”

—CARL HIGBIE, host of NEWSMAX Carl Higbie Frontline and retired Navy SEAL

WHEN YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF SUNSETS, 

DON’T WASTE THE SUNRISES YOU HAVE LEFT.

Patrick “The Common Sense Cowboy” Dorinson welcomes you to hop on the stool next to him for 70 years of life stories, a coupla insights, and maybe even a laugh or two from the old guy at the end of the bar. Whether your poison is a fresh, cold beer, a shot of whiskey, or maybe just a soda water and lime, THE COMMON SENSE COWBOY’S GUIDE TO LIFE will shed new light on the ups and downs we all go through together across this glorious nation of ours. In the vein of such modern classics as Chicken Soup for the Soul and Tuesdays With Morrie, this book will hopefully lend a little extra guidance during these tumultuous days to those seeking it . . . along with some relatable tales of faith, failure, redemption, and enduring passion for being the best version of oneself possible.

THE COMMON SENSE COWBOY'S 12 RULES FOR LIFE

1. The secret to a long life is getting up every day with a purpose. Young or old, working or retired, everyone needs a purpose so find yours.
2. Never betray trust, because trust is like virginity. Once lost, it’s impossible to get back.
3. Everything breaks sooner or later. So, learn how to fix things.
4. The measure of a man is when he does the right thing even when no one is watching. If you do the wrong thing and nobody saw you do it, it is still wrong.
5. Don’t waste time thinking about what might have been. Put the “might have beens” in the same trash can reserved for the “wouldas”, the “shouldas” and the “couldas”. Then get busy with the “doin”.
6. A fancy education might gain you some knowledge, but only hard life experiences will gain you wisdom. A PhD won’t help you fix a flat tire.
7. Be wary of the person who tells you they can get you a burger and fries for nothing. There is no free lunch.
8. Your word is your bond, and your handshake seals the deal. 
9. If you shake hands with a politician, be sure to count your fingers when you let go to make sure you still have all five. (See above)
10. Don’t pray for things. The Almighty is not Amazon or Costco and faith delivers salvation and comfort not packages.
11. There is right and there is wrong. There are no loopholes and the only thing in between are excuses.
12. The Good Lord gave us each a certain number of seconds, minutes, hours and days, but he didn’t give us our expiration date. Use your time wisely and live life to the fullest.

IT’S TIME TO COWBOY UP AND START RIDIN' FENCES!

PATRICK DORINSON (ST. GEORGE, UTAH) is the “Common Sense Cowboy” and has lived and endured through many lives over the course of his seven-plus decades on this planet as a maverick, a dreamer, a schemer and—most appropriately for the purposes of this bio—a communicator.

Dorinson is a longtime author, speaker and Newsmax and Fox News contributor who, for nearly a decade, was host of his own The Cowboy Libertarian radio show on iHeart media’s Sacramento-based KFBK. 

Although he takes pride in the fact that renowned conservative talk show stalwart Rush Limbaugh had his start at the same station, Dorinson takes further pride still in the fact that throughout his lengthy career, he has worked with equal passion and grit on both sides of the aisle. Along with, as he likes to say, “in the aisle itself.”

Aspiring toward being something of a modern-day Will Rogers (with a twinkly eyed twist of Mark Twain), Dorinson transmits his thoughtful dispatches via his popular Ridin’ Fences with Patrick Dorinson platform online at RidinFences.com, continuing to tell the stories of diverse regular folks who do most of the heavy lifting in America today (and always have). 

After hanging up his spurs as a seasoned veteran of the political strategy and media commentary battlefields (with the combat scars to prove it!) at 55, Dorinson turned in his tie and pinstriped suit for a cowboy hat and boots, following in the footsteps of his late cowgirl mother in learning and living the “cowboy way” with his horse Beamer by his side. 

Twenty years later, Dorinson is proud to have worked on ranch crews, won buckles in cow work competitions and been a campfire teller of tales both tall and small alike. 

These days, the Common Sense Cowboy hopes to never step foot onto the dreaded Beltway again … unless, of course, it’s to see a man about a horse.

The author lives & works in the Las Vegas metro area.

RidinFences.com

MATHEW KLICKSTEIN (GREELEY, COLORADO) is a longtime multi-platform storyteller whose work has appeared in numerous publications—regional and national, online and off —and whose books (typically focusing on "pop culture history") have been released by some of the largest (and smallest!) publishers globally. He is also a notable filmmaker, podcaster, playwright, novelist, TV series producer, comic book creator, ghostwriter, and arts therapist/college lecturer.

Klickstein is the author or co-author of over fifteen books and his writings have appeared in such publications as: WIRED, Paste Magazine, New Yorker, New York Daily News, New York magazine's Vulture, Heavy Metal , Alternative Press, ABLE, Boulder Weekly, Yellow Scene, Colorado Daily/Daily Camera (as Staff Writer), OC Weekly, Willamette Week, Hammer to Nail, Entertainment Today (for which he was Editor-In-Chief), iTechPost (for which he was Deputy Editor), Bleeding Cool, Fade In, Kansas City Star, Ink (for which he created and ran a regular foodie column), Decider (NY Post), Baltimore Jewish Times (for which he was Senior Reporter), Baltimore Sun, Dayton Daily News, and Greeley Lifestyle (as Publication Director).

The author lives & works in the Denver metro area.

MathewKlickstein.com