Measure J Defeated, Rent Control losing, Sonoma Sales Tax Increase headed for approval

Endless Trick Or Treat

These are the times that try our souls. We’re watching clocks change to early night darkness and elections rocking our boats. This next round of no-light-after-5 p.m. begins soon. Why do they call it daylight savings anyway? In this spooky season of the trickster, we never know what’s around that next corner. Heading into the elections is like watching Godzilla wave his heavy tail through our towns, creating a tidal wave in history, threatening our rights, security and freedoms. Changes are constant. Now my healthcare company is shifting gears again, changing names and corporate ownership. Spooky. Just today I spent a laborious hour on the computer trying to find a document in spam and after that fun task, my handyman suddenly looked scared, asking for directions to the hospital to take an MRI. After that I got a lovely note from a friend offering kind compliments that fueled me, soon followed by the news that a relative was in the hospital. Halloween’s swirling goblins seem to be popping out, shrieking "boo" around each corner. So, how do we thrive in changing times? I decided to do more self-care and cleaning up the house. Remaining resilient requires doing next steps to move forward in life. But then another ghost appeared. I found evacuation bags tucked away in a hidden corner. Was this an apparition? Deciding not to be defeated, I planned a trip to Ashville, North Carolina where, within hours, treacherous floods killed so many in a torrent of unexpected rain and flash floods from Hurricane Helene. The Biltmore Hotel, a few days before so lively, was boarded up. My cuckoo clock reminds me with a bit of wit, life includes change. So, what helps us get through turbulent times? Generosity of spirit, offering service and doing self-care. Life’s an art. So, my self-soothing includes watching “The Golden Bachelor” on television and yes, she’s an older woman! It’s a favorite way to perk myself up. If you don’t know about it, imagine a woman over 60 trying to decide between 32 fabulous men. Healthy nourishment cushions us from the slings and arrows of ill-fated fortune, the ups and downs of life. Treats matter. Most of us are on one end of the teeter-totter or the other. With stressors, losses or gains, we need replenishment. But let me not make light of this profoundly serious next few months in our democratic history. We don’t want slimy tricks now, when our governance “of the people, by the people” should be where power originates, as Abraham Lincoln said, “from the citizens and serves the interests of the people as a whole.” So, we try to keep our souls soothed, maybe by watching fun movies, like “As Good As It Gets” or “Moon Struck,” or revisiting old Jonathon Winters interviews with Johnny Carson. Whether you dress like a lime green bean on Halloween, walk the darling dog, giggle at past Betty Boop cartoons or read the wordsmith of political satire, Maureen Dowd in the New York Times, please stay involved in current conversations about the profound importance of this pivotal year that could steal our freedoms and create terrifying changes if we don’t stay engaged. Leave the treats long enough to vote, and prevent tricks that could destroy democracy.

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