My View – February 2022

I started off 2022 unlike any other year with a phone call from an Urgent Care physician to inform me, “You’ve tested positive for COVID!” As you know, I don’t publish a January issue and generally head out of town to recharge my solar batteries. As such, I was hanging out in Kona, Hawaii for a few weeks at a favorite beach and was in the water daily. And I was wearing a mask—but it was attached to a snorkel…so were a boatload of fellow, global sun worshippers who’d flocked to the island to ring in the new year. And so, just before New Year’s Day, as I was getting ready to head back to Jacksonville to start work on the February issue, that phone call upended my plans.

Luckily, I suspected and detected the virus early and self-isolated, got tested and then rested. And rested, and rested, and rested. Thanks to the miracle of Zoom and publishing software, Andrea and I managed to get this issue to press. (Okay, it was 10% me and 90% Andrea!)

Frequent readers of this column know I’m not bashful about sharing personal experiences—just like, “Thanks for Having Our Backs,” wherein I detailed my wife’s recently ruptured disk and how our community rallied to help us in our hour of need. Post-op, she’s doing great and walking up to 3 miles a day and will be “back” at the shop soon, albeit on a different schedule. By the time you read this, I’ll be the one trying to keep pace with her on our favorite Woodland trail!

Like you, I am grateful to live and work in such a wonderful town, filled with caring neighbors and friends who show up in good and tough times. And speaking of the fantastic people who make this town special, be sure and read about three of them on page 5, all of whom were deservedly honored by Mayor Donna Bowen in Our Small Town with Big Atmosphere!