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Surprises

What a week it's been!  I found myself frequently surprised this week.  Here's what topped the list:


Sting turned 60. 
What? Are you kidding me? How is this possible? 




I don't care how old he is.  He's still making great music and he's still sexy as hell.  I'm lucky to say that I've seen him live, in concert, twice.  Perhaps if he keeps touring, I'll get to live out my life's dream of becoming one of his back-up singers.  Someday.  Someday.  


Steve Jobs died
I wrote only 6 weeks ago, at his retirement, about Steve's impact on the world. While I knew that it would only be a matter of time before his body succumbed to the pancreatic cancer that invaded his body, I had no idea how the death of someone I never knew personally could impact me so deeply. It was inspiring to see the many eloquent and beautiful tributes that floated around the Internet on Wednesday and Thursday.  

We've been fighting the war in Afghanistan for over a decade
While this is not, in itself, a surprise, it's a stark reality check.  What I did find interesting was the Pew Research Study  that recently examined the impact of the war on civilian and military attitudes about military service.  Did you know that even though our country has never before sustained combat for over a decade, this is the first time in history that such a small percentage of the population is entrenched in the fight? While almost 10% of US citizens participated actively in World War II combat, only 1/2 of 1% of our citizens do so today.  Somehow I believe that directly impacts the pressure we do (or don't) place on our government with regard to the decisions they make about where to go with this (seemingly) endless battle.  I don't like to use this blog to talk about politics. I will simply repeat my mantra: War. What is it good for? 


Richmond is an incredibly generous community
Many of you living in the Richmond area probably heard about The Amazing Raise this week.  This 36-hour fundraising event sponsored by Give Richmond and The Community Foundation raised over $491,000 for hundreds of local nonprofits, including over $1000 for CJ's Thumbs Up Foundation and over $6000 for the agency that I work for, Commonwealth Autism Service. Whenever I start to get cynical about the world, I think of these acts of generosity and it warms my heart.  

What surprised you this week?


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