Paulo Freire said, “The opposite of love is not, as we many times or almost always think, hatred, but the fear to love, and fear to love is the fear of being free.”

Sounds “touchy-feely”, doesn’t it?  My continuing experience says it’s not.

Last month, I wrote about working at the polls to investigate the reality of election fraud.  To those who suggested I’m naïve, I wrote: “I trust elections for the same reason I get every recommended vaccine because while I know election fraud exists, and vaccines cause death, both are exceedingly rare.”

Here’s more direct experience and research about another controversial issue: vaccines.  

What has been your personal reaction to the news that our election system is flawed?

By 2018’s primary election, I had heard enough about election integrity that I decided I wanted to know first-hand just how messy our system is. So, I offered my services to the Ashtabula County Election Board. 

The 2024 primary that just passed marked my 6^th election served.  I’m paid the munificent sum of $115 to work from 5.45 AM to 8 PM.  It’s been an interesting journey.

How many times can you remember “faking it”?  

Ah, the golden key to loyalty among the ranks! Here it is: Invite your team to stick around for the long haul, but if they decide to fly the coop, assure them they'll be leaving with a shinier resume. It's about having those real talks, not just about the gig but about their grand life adventure.

The more questions I ask, the more certain the answers will be.  Questions lead to research; research leads to risk reduction in both business and in my life.

Successful lives and businesses are entirely built on interdependence. 

Over the holiday, our granddaughter asked Alice and me if we could reject her “new cousins” who will enter the family upon her aunt’s marriage - two girls with whom she had formed a very close bond over the last few years.

The last thing I expected when I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science was that I would have a successful business career.  My pursuit of a business degree lasted one semester and ended with barely receiving Cs in economics, accounting, and finance.

Alice and I stood with Caitlin and her boyfriend at a music festival along the Chattanooga River.  The lights came on, a church-sounding organ began, and a man’s voice filled the night.