"Since the pandemic started, I've wanted to stay connected with our community. Through the form of a weekly blog, I share my insights and reflections on various topics."
Last Saturday, my wife and I took our 3-year-old Golden Retriever, Hope, to the National Mall to participate in the Best Buddies Friendship Walk.
Last month, a post office in Arlington, Virginia was renamed the Jesus Antonio Collazos Post Office Building. When I think of buildings being named, I assume the person was a politician or someone who donated great amounts of money, but not in this case. So, who was Jesus Antonio Collazos.
There was a huge debate online this week. Judge’s ability to overrule the FDA? Continuing support for Ukraine? Another mass shooting? Dominion and Fox defamation lawsuit? No, it was none of those important matters. It was a debate over who should clean up a mess made by children on an airplane.
A recent NYT article noted that for the sixth straight year, Finland was ranked at the top in the World Happiness Report. But when the Times reporter, Penelope Colston, interviewed some people there, “Rather than happy, they were more likely to characterize Finns as ‘quite gloom,’ ‘a little moody’ or not given to unnecessary smiling.”
Recently, a friend of mine, Mary Lynn, was asked to give the sermon at our church. Her topic was fear and the insidious impact it has on our well-being and spirit, sometimes without us even realizing it. She noted how we are constantly barraged by the 24-hour media cycle with all that is bad in the world.
When people ask, “how are you?”, I should respond that I’m learning and growing, as it seems that I learn something new quite often and I hope that it makes me a better person, with better perspective. The latest incident again involves my wife, Jen.