At Toastmasters we open our meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. I also have it hanging in our lobby. I need the reminder. I do take my freedom for granted. I feel safe and every day I exercise my rights and obligations as a citizen. However, I feel that the news we are exposed to make extreme efforts to divide us, to point out the lack of liberty and the lack of justice.

Recently I sat in a meeting with a family who had lost the founder of their fast growing family business. During the meeting I was focused on business. After the meeting the sadness hit me. The founder should have been in that meeting. The energy, the drive and the laughter were missing. He lived his life to the fullest.

Lately I have been feeling tired and lacking excitement in my life. I am tired of being confined by a mask, by cold weather and by work. I am tired of the constant news of sickness and death. Then I recall a remark I overheard that offered me a bit of hope.

Time moves quickly when I’m having fun. It also seems to drag on when I am bored or in pain. It is easy to get into a routine and forget why I had that routine and where I am going. As tax season comes to a close, my life shifts.

Recently I attended my son’s wedding. James and his fiancé, Stephanie, invited family and friends. It was very beautiful. During that evening I met many of his friends. Friends who are very successful in types of business that weren’t around when I started my career.

I am tired of all the fear in society today. Halloween is supposed to be scary. Usually it’s ghosts, goblins and someone chasing someone with a chainsaw. This year we have Covid 19 and the Presidential election. I want to erase the scary and find the magic for this Halloween season.