Hi, <<First Name>> 

I trust your weeks-long preparation in anticipation of today's celebration has been well worth your every effort!

 

WHAT!  What do you mean you haven't been preparing?  Are you scratching your head wondering, "Um, today's October 16th, what celebration do you speak of, Jason?" 

Why, none other than the dynamic duo of epic holidays, of course - National Department Store Day and National Dictionary Day!  Can't you just feel the excitement building?

To celebrate, I think I'll drive on down to Montgomery Ward in the mall and buy an unabridged dictionary.  After that, I might even get a wild hair and head on over to Blockbuster to see if they have any spellbinding movies about Merriam-Webster on VHS. 

For those of you who didn’t get that joke, congratulations on being younger than me.  For of those of you who had a mild chuckle, congratulations on experiencing a much simpler time.  Who would have ever thought the ’80’s and ’90’s would seem like a more innocent time?  But remember those halcyon days when we went around all mask-less, shaking hands, and hugging the people we loved?

Times change.  Who would have thought 30 or 40 years ago that instead of flipping pages in a dictionary to look up the definition of the word change, you would simply hold your finger on the term until it highlighted, then select "Look Up" or "Define" depending on your version of smart phone? And if for some reason you still find the idea of owning an unabridged dictionary simply irresistible, I imagine the first place to check would be in the Amazon. The .com version, of course.

Since this last spring, when I returned to South Dakota from my years in sunny San Diego, I've enjoyed watching fields of corn grow, from seed in April, to wee green shoots in May, into stalks taller than me by mid July.  Yes, I admit it. I've found watching the corn grow simply awe-inspiring.  I know you might be thinking, “WOW! That Jason is really a country hick!”  

And you might be right.  You might be right!

Anyway, now, in mid October much of the corn has already been harvested.  I miss the fields bursting at the seams with life.  But there’s spring to count on.  Please remind me of that in January.  This country bumpkin might be hankering to trade his John Deere work gloves in for beach umbrella and some water wings by then.

Let’s do our darnedest to remember that times change. This election will soon be over.  One day, the pandemic will be over.  Economic booms will come again.

Maybe instead of celebrating dictionaries and department stores today, let's celebrate the possibility of change and the exhilarating new growth it can bring.

Wishing you a magnificent weekend,

Jason