Trust but Verify

  Yes, it’s that time of year—Halloween! It has been with us in one form or another since the time of the Celts. It was a festive time celebrating the end of summer, fields ready for the harvest, and the time when ghosts could cross the boundary between death and life. For us, though, Halloween 2020 is different…quite different. While the little ones may still have a subdued version of “Trick or Treat,” the adults are guiding their families on a trip without a roadmap—mask or no mask, how often do we have to sanitize our hands, go to the classroom or attend virtually, etc. Welcome to our road to perdition. The original road to perdition was like a Greek tragedy about quirks of fate and how they impacted people’s lives—or not! This year certainly has forced each of us to deal with our own version of a Greek tragedy, but the choices are ours to make. How we deal with a challenge can be an ordeal or an adventure. That is not to say 2020 has been a piece of cake. It hasn’t, but also...

Spend a day of simple relaxation with nothing on your mind. That is, nothing except it is raining havoc on your cotton crop, the pandemic is in full force, the fall flu season is here, and the election looms dead ahead. Relax? How about a soothing swim in a beautiful stream filled with piranha?        There can be no question this year has been a challenge for everyone and the forecast for the coming months does not bode well either. Will it be trying? Yes, indeed. Can we overcome it? Without a doubt. Our immediate and extended family coped with the 2020 challenges with calm and clearly thought-out planning and implementation. Six months ago, we never heard of PPE, Social Distancing, nor of not going out for a weekend dinner or ballgame with friends. All our plans for a family reunion in Arizona, a family wedding in Colorado, and a business trip to Oklahoma were dashed with one simple word, “COVID.” Nevertheless, two basic principles guided us ...