We sat on the tailgate of our parent’s Ford Country Squire station wagon on our way to the beach where we swam all day, made sandcastles and threw jellyfish at each other. As if we didn’t spend enough time together during the day, many times we would sneak out at night to play flashlight tag or just sit and talk about the day’s events or what we would like to do when we grew up. My fondest recollections are those of summer when life seemed sweeter and gentler with each day being more savored.
As a community, we all seemed to grow a bit closer. Today I see something vastly different. While we aren’t consumed picking up the pieces from homes and properties lost during Hurricane Charley, we have been forced to ” pause,” and with that pause, I am seeing people going back to those things I was so fond of as a child. I see couples taking early morning walks and riding bikes together. Many have taken to the water paddling kayaks or taking out those boats that have been sitting idle for months on lifts. I can hear the laughter of neighbors planning impromptu cocktail hours in the streets or on front lawns as they socially distance themselves from one another. Long overdue phone calls are being made and facetime chats are now allowing us to speak with loved ones in real-time.
During this time I’ve often wondered if this was God’s way of bringing us back to the way of life he intended for us. Where those simple pleasures and friendships we enjoyed as kids were meant to be enjoyed as adults, and not to be taken for granted.For those who celebrate Easter and the significance of its meaning, this year will be one that is very different. No longer will people be getting dressed up to go to church. Children won’t be participating in community-sponsored Easter egg hunts and small gatherings with only immediate family for Easter dinner will become this year’s norm.
Restaurants were packed; sports bars were getting ready for college basketball’s March Madness and people were shopping and enjoying life “as usual.” Then came news out of China of a Coronavirus and since then the world has been in turmoil, or so it seems.
So what have we learned from our experiences? Apparently, not much! Instead of looking back to how we overcame Polio, SARS, Ebola, H1N1 (Swine Flu), Aids and Influenza, we have driven ourselves into a panic that is being heightened by the media and the emotional roller coaster inherent in the stock market.
Writer and philosopher George Santayana wrote in his book, Reason in Common Sense, The Life of Reason, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” You would think our past experiences would have enhanced our coping mechanisms, but the example we are setting for this next generation is that of panic and hoarding, instead of seeing the opportunities afforded in challenging times and taking advantage of them.
If you were to speak with the likes of Rich Dad, Poor Dad writer, and Entrepreneur Robert Kiyosaki and Warren Buffet, they will both tell you the times we are presently going through are the times that savvy investors wait for and then jump back into the market.
In speaking with Faiza Kedir, Director, Business Development Financial Advisor of the nationally recognized Private Wealth Asset Management company of Lansberg Bennet, she stressed how they are a non-commission based fiduciary, whose sole focus is protecting their client’s investments.
As consumers, we are always in the market looking for good buys and now we are seeing sellers reacting to the market and making price reductions in their list prices.
Donna’s oldest brother Bobby passed away at 36 and shortly thereafter the boys sold their wholesale nursery business. Her next oldest brother Mike continued in the nursery business while in 2007 Donna and her brother Dennis bought the floral shop from their parents. While Donna’s creative floral handprint can be seen on most of the major events throughout the area, not to mention the scores of weddings and other social events she has designed, I can tell you first hand, having been in this industry myself, this is not an easy business to run, especially when life presents you with lemons. People used to ask me, “This must be such a fun business to be in. You get to design and create a host of special events.” My reply was always, “If you only knew what went on behind the scenes to create these events you would wonder how we could still have a hair left on our heads.” If you know Donna, you know she makes a very difficult job look easy. She is the consummate problem solver who thinks quickly on her feet and who has that uncanny ability to turn someone’s tears into smiles in anticipation of their special day. It is this gift that has served her well through the challenges she’s faced personally and as a business owner.
In 2007, Donna met her husband Steve. At the time she was a foster parent having already adopted one child of her own however, once Steve became her husband Donna became an instant mother to five children. She joked, “No longer was I able to foster as we literally ran out of room!” She added with a smile, “I always wanted a large family and suddenly I had one. Steve’s kids meant the world to me and I was blessed beyond measure, taking my role as being a Mom very seriously.”
With no facts to back up his assertions, I replied by citing the academic and athletic achievements our students have attained and the careers they had already pursued. However, one key point I made in the letter was how different the educational environment is today than it was when I was growing up. While we had our share of schoolyard fights and differences with our classmates, but today school security has become just as important as the academic curriculum. “Safety,” as Steve points out, “Is the biggest challenge we face today. When the state mandated increased security for schools establishing minimums for staffing of “School Resource Officers,” (SRO’s) after the Parkland school shootings, Charlotte County Public Schools already had those minimums in place and increased the security staffing and presence even further.” He continued by saying, “Safety of the child and staff is my first concern. We conduct active assailant drills and teach the children where the safest area is in the classroom and how to barricade a door.” Steve adds, “It is heartbreaking that a kindergarten child has to learn how to survive.” With updated phone systems in place, and the ability to lock down the campus instantly, every parent and student can be updated during a crisis in a matter of minutes.
Since many of the previous school and mass shootings have been traced back to a shooter who had a history of mental health issues, or has come from a background of heightened emotional distress, Steve said, “This community talks to each other. The school system, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department, Police Chief and Charlotte County Mental Health department all move in the same direction with a game plan in place.” Together, they work in concert to provide a model for a safe learning environment. W hen I was attending school, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, the course curriculum was based around the three basic components, reading, writing and arithmetic. 
Our exposure to the national and international events didn’t seem to be as polarizing as they are today. Today we are hearing where many of the educators, particularly those in the higher learning levels (college), are integrating their personal opinions into the course curriculum. Steve’s replied by saying, “We want our students to have a voice, as long as they aren’t breaking any of the school system’s rules. Kids today are watching and learning how those in position react to scenarios presented to them and respond accordingly.” He went on to say, “We didn’t have social media when we grew up, (Steve still doesn’t have facebook and social media accounts), and unfortunately, much of what is being posted on these sites is not based on fact. Unlike having a direct dialogue, with social media you can post without having to defend your position.”
For years I’ve often felt our county didn’t offer many career opportunities outside of medical, law, real estate and the building trades. I have thought for years we were training our young bright minds to benefit someone else’s city or state. Steve perhaps put it much more succinctly when he said, “We are exporting our kids,” and to address this need our technical school, together with new programs being created will give our kids an instant opportunity for employment in cutting edge industries. Working in concert with Charlotte County and the Charlotte County Economic Development team, (that also has representation on the school board), new career opportunities are being created in airframe and airline mechanics, solar energy, HVAC, small engine repair, technology, dental and nursing . These programs have all been created, at great cost, so graduating students can immediately feed the growth of specific industries. In fact, just in the nursing program alone 98% of those graduating find almost immediate employment. With the new Sunseeker Resort due to be completed in late 2020, new programs with be designed with the goal of feeding a diversity of job opportunities that will be created by this 450+ million dollar resort development.
As I look back on those times I realize everything goes full circle and the things we enjoyed then many of us are recreating today. This summer alone we have friends who have been following the Rolling Stones who have been touring the country. That in itself amazes me to think a group we heard as kids are still performing today. Some have gone to France and ridden their bicycles on parts of the same course as the Tour de France. Others have gone to Italy to take cooking classes, making many of the same recipes found in our friend’s cookbook. And remember that story of our friend who would scare people to death in his plane? How about jumping out of one and skydiving your way to a marriage proposal?
While most people would like to talk about themselves, Gary and Gail have always put their clients first, and their diverse backgrounds have provided their clients an unparalleled level of service and knowledge throughout the past years.