First Post

Interesting discussions tonight about politics and the economy with an ardent Obama supporter whose husband has a great job on OSHA in DC and another terrific individual who is quite concerned about the division of wealth in the country. Being a fundamental capitalist I see their points of view and yet believe in the free market system to drive innovation, progress and wealth creation. Incentive based economies have lead the way for many many generations however. If this is not the land of opportunity, why do we have an "immigration problem"?

Why is it that we make things so complicated? Often times the solutions are right in front of us and are relatively simple. Take for instance the great concern about concussions in athletics. This is a problem that has been around for several decades however it has finally surfaced as older players are suffering from the effects of multiple concussions during their playing careers. There are a number of things that have contributed to this tragedy including lack of long term knowledge, ignorance and of course money. There is quite bit of dialog about how to fix this problem but the answer is quite simple in hockey. "enforce the rule book". End of story. New helmets, revised rules, more referees etc will not change the physics that are in play. Enforce the rules prohibiting head contact and make the penalties stiffer to cause a change in behavior Football is a whole other story. Head contact is a common occurring. Are we really so sure we want our kids to participate in youth and high school sports where they are suffering brain injuries? Injuries that will shorten their lives in some case by quite a few years?

Why the pond?  Ponds have a cycle of life that is ever changing. Maybe they represent our lives as the season change so do the ecosystems in a pond. Now, in September, as the sun falls low in the western sky the sunlight skips across the the surface and into the reeds and plants along the shore. As evening approaches the critters settle down for the darkness that will soon envelope them. But for a short time the sunlight dances across the water with soft hues of color reflecting through the shore vegetation and into the woods. For a brief period darkness and light coexist and are partners in the short time until the process is reversed as the sun rises in the morning. Early morning and dusk are great times to simply be present in the moment and reflect about these these changes. Watch the light shift as the sun drops below the horizon. Maybe the world is much bigger than us. In a couple months the pond will be covered with ice and snow. The cycle continues.