October sings its siren song. The serenity of simplicity. The peace of place. The security of roots that go deep and limbs that reach for the sky. A gray squirrel ran across the lawn. He had neither fear nor dread. His life is grounded in his appointed rounds. The Old Man noticed the leaves were falling early in August. Not so now, as October is a week in progress. We are made for peace, not war. War is an unnatural state. When we are full and have lodging, we set our minds on making life better for those who do not enjoy such luxuries. Homelessness is a crime against humanity.

The Cubs are down by two games. Cubs fans are worried. We love the eternal struggle. I reflected on life at Southern Illinois University. I became adept at the political negotiations to survive. MJ and my recent favorite show, The Morning Show with Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, reminded me of the snares and traps of office life. Bosses say one thing and mean another. Perception is over 90% of reality. The societal construct of what Board you are on and who you play golf with. Exhausting and illustrating the need for an advocate for working people. I filled that role for most of my career. My dear friend Elizabeth has filled the same role admirably for some time. The poor of the land are faceless to the administration. When they think of staff, they see their staff who, by most standards, have Cadillac Problems. It is the rare leader who gets to know the factory line workers.

Most of us are line workers in life. We are blessed and still looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The manifest simplicity of life continues. At times, we lose the plot. We become so busy jumping the hurdles of life that we forget the finish line. It is time to walk through the leaves and gaze at the autumn sky. We want so much, we need little. One pair of shoes will keep our feet warm. 20 pairs will feed our ego. Our Ford is great, but wouldn’t the Lincoln be better?

Patience preserves our souls. Moderation is the key. Happy experiences come from new places. Happiness comes from within. There is no magic journey that brings joy, nor is there a pill to take. Joy comes from our satisfied hearts.

The Old Man walked with his friends and reflected on the journey. He had seen preachers who loved money, fine cars, and exquisite clothes. The Preacher bragged about how much his necktie and his shoes. He had little time for the poor of the congregation. He was in his own heaven. The Preacher called his financial bounty God’s Blessings. In reality, the poor of the church did without necessities so that the Preacher could have abundance. He told the flock to do what he told them to do and give money until it hurts, and then they will have monetary blessings like he did. One problem…the poor did not have a church full of hard-working people to give them the money to provide the lifestyle of the Preacher.