Goodbye

Well, folks, the time has come for me to say goodbye.  I’ve enjoyed sharing my opinions with you for the past two years, but I’ve decided there are lots of things I want to do which are going to keep me from devoting the time I need to make sure what I write is worth reading.  Not that all of you thought it was worth reading before.

While it’s been fun, there certainly have been some ups-and-downs.  The feedback’s been great, whether you agreed with me or not.  By far, my favorites have been from people who said they didn’t necessarily agree with me, but that a column or idea made them think.  That’s all I could ever ask.

But it has not been without its downside.  I know I’ve ruffled some feathers, taking positions that were extremely unpopular with some people.  That’s been very difficult at times, especially when I knew taking a different stance would probably be in my own best interest.  If nothing else, I would hope those who disagreed would at least appreciate that I never let my own interests compromise my principles.

I would also hope that after two years that some of those principles would have become clear.  Principles like taking personal responsibility for our own lives and situations.  Not looking to government to fulfill all our wants and desires.  Respecting education as the single most important investment we can make in ourselves and our children.  And last but not least, remembering that life is what we make it.  Appreciate the good things that happen and let the bad things go.  It makes life so much easier.

So with that, I’ll leave you with a few thoughts on what I’d like to see in the months and years ahead.

I’d like to see us teach our children that success isn’t measured by the size of one’s house, but by the size of one’s heart.  Find passions in life and pursue them with gusto, otherwise all the money in the world won’t make you happy.  Follow your heart and you’ll find success.

I’d also like to teach them that life isn’t always fair.  Don’t dwell on slights and setbacks.  That’s the road to bitterness.  Instead, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on.  It’s like a flat tire – you can curse the nail and kick the car, but that gets you nowhere.  Fix it and be on your way.

Let’s seek out opinions contrary to our own.  If you’re conservative, read the New York Times and listen to NPR.  If you’re liberal, listen to Rush Limbaugh and watch Fox News.  Like a weightlifter, if your views never face resistance they’ll become weak and flabby.  Exercising our minds is as important as exercising our bodies.

Treat each other with respect.  We can disagree, but we don’t have to be nasty.  Which brings me to my one regret regarding this column.  Last December I wrote a very sarcastic column that unfairly ridiculed some of our elected leaders, most notably the West Chester Township trustees.  It was uncalled for.  Whatever differences of opinion we might have, George Lang, Catherine Stoker and Jose Alvarez are all good people who sincerely care about their community.  I have personally apologized to George, and I’d like to publicly apologize to Catherine and Jose.  I hope they’ll accept it.

With that, I’m off.  But I won’t be gone.  Thanks for reading.