Scripting

It’s Friday and mid-August. Evidently many public schools started classes this week, at least brief days of orientation. Next week most of the Illinois kids will be back in classrooms. That means the morning rush hour will be heavy until we get used to it again.


Colleges and universities start next week, too. It took me years to realize that Illinois universities up and down the state space out their starting dates in fall to accommodate student traffic on the I-roads. I had wondered why they didn’t all start at the same time. But whoa! That would have made for a state-wide traffic jam on I-55, I-57 and I-74.


Being Friday, we can expect a summery mix of events, distractions and short trips (just not near a university campus!).  News media will report on the weather, sports and public events as expected. By Sunday evening we will have an accounting of shootings and gun deaths in the Chicago region. Financial gurus will opine for hours on talk shows about what has happened with the stock and bond markets and what that bodes for our combined futures. News junkies will also share their views with anyone bothering to listen. All of this will amount to a lot of words with little lessons to learn.


At this stage of summer, it is better to focus on fall months and how we will spend our energy toward year-end results. This is the heavy lifting season of the year. If you are a returning college/university student, you know what I mean. You have felt the pull of purpose and it’s time to buckle down. Have some fun, but think of the possibilities, then build plans to achieve. If you are a small business owner, you feel the same tug to complete the year on a high note. Who are the best customer prospects? What do they really need? How can I help them? And then, make the sale?


Getting prepared for cooler weather – yes, snow and ice – always makes me serious about fall. Concentration comes easily at this time of year. Springtime is more fanciful and time-wasting.

Yes, it is time to plan the rest of our year. What will we make of it? Who will we come to know? What ideas will birth in our minds and lead to stunning fresh conclusions?


Some constants will stay with us – expenses, income, aches and pains, loves and yearnings, and yes, politicians. But their script is about themselves and why you should vote for them. They seem to have lost why they labor in the first place. What needs to be accomplished? Why? And how will they and we make that happen?


They have possibilities. So do each of us. We have possibilities to explore. Possibilities to make happen. To do.


That’s a script worthy of our attention and energy. Don’t be distracted.


August 16, 2019