Remember tomorrow from 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm you get to ask me anything during office hours.

So glad you are here! Invite someone into the community.

Fresh Air By Kathleen Tonn The scent of lilacs I walked Towards the haystack. Wind stirred the clover I breathed Nearly falling over. Oxygen rich air Lungs bursting So I dare. Truth not contained I speak No, I will not abstain.

How Sure Are You By Kathleen Tonn I sat at my desk making travel plans. My “to do” list was nearly completed. My passport was up to date. My vaccinations are current, including my tetanus shot. My travel funds were put in an international bank. My home was sold. My car was sold. I would board the plane with a brief case and a small suitcase. I said good bye to my friends knowing we’d stay in touch despite the ocean separating us. I am starting over abroad. It took ten years of soul searching to arrive at that decision. It was also fomented by the economy. The corporation I worked for said to me, “Hayden, AI is taking over your role. We appreciate all you have done, but we must move forward technologically.” I wasn’t alone. My whole department received their pink slips. The anger and frustration my coworkers experienced was disturbing. Some were single parents, and some were single wage earners. Bottom line, they had children and aging parents to look after. It stunk. I requested the corporation to give my coworkers my stock dividends. I had fifteen years of accrual which amounted to twenty-five thousand dollars. I figured that would help my five closest associates. I instructed the human resource department to keep that donation confidential. I was to catch my plane to Brussels at one a.m. Before doing so, I was going to have dinner with an old friend from college. We were meeting at the Olive Garden for a glass of wine and their delicious Braised Beef Tortellini. I took Uber to the restaurant. The car’s windshield wipers worked furiously to clear the rain from the glass. The driver and I watched the sheets of rain smack the pavement as the raindrops bounced off the streets. Thunder and lightening pounded out a rhapsody overhead. It many ways, the storm was a perfect crescendo for an eventful American life. The driver saluted me as I exited his Acura. Then, I ran towards the restaurant’s front door. The host offered to take my wet jacket before showing me to Dillan’s and my table.