Could Use Some Happy Thoughts

[rdprdp01]

I am a 62-year-old entrepreneur who, with my two partners, owns an IT services firm that supports 911 dispatch centers, fire departments, private ambulance companies, and two nonprofit medical facilities in the East Bay. We have 23 people on the payroll, all committed to making the world a little less harsh. One of our hospitals provides pediatric care for terminally ill children; another provides medical and dental care, clothing, counseling, and food for families who are doing the very best they can. Not everyone in the Bay Area works for Google and holds stock options. The divide between the haves and the have-nots is profound.

I spend most of my time in the DMZ between the harsh realities of life and the government agencies working to ease suffering. We are not heroes. We do not answer calls, run into burning buildings, or stop the bleeding. But we keep the IT infrastructure in place so first responders can arrive on scene quickly, respond effectively, call for help when needed, and return to Post. I used to make high-tech millionaires and billionaires by helping them flip companies. Now I work for 23 engineers, technicians, analysts, and programmers, keeping the emergency response engine we built together running smoothly. It is a much better gig.

This morning at 3:00 AM, I received the call. Children playing with fireworks set fire to the rental house we lease for staff, many of whom commute just like me. The fire crept into the walls. It is a holiday weekend, so no one was home, but the smoke alarm system sounded, the alert went out, and the very systems we maintain were put to use. An Engine Company from Station 17 was dispatched, entered the home, opened the walls from the inside, and doused the flames before the structure was lost or the fire spread through the neighborhood. I am told the firefighters found the source despite the smoke that filled the dwelling. I am grateful beyond words for their work.

My CB1100EX and two Bianchi bicycles were in the garage, where the fire originated. Believe it or not, I spent more on the bicycles than the motorcycle! Their fate is unclear at this time, and none of them can be replaced. If you have some positive energy to lend, now would be the time.

I love California: its natural beauty and the kindness the incredible people I have met there. It has also been a hard place for me to afford. I cannot buy a home in the East Bay, so I live in the Texas Hill Country, commute roughly 300 days a year, and work the balance from home. This morning I watched the sun come up, fed the horses, tended to the baby deer, and decided to let the Forum help me manage the next few hours. Thank you.