Time for a Break
It was a nice change of pace. Lisa and I just sat there watching our kids playing in the pool with their cousins.. dancing around, laughing, acting like there was no yesterday and tomorrow was not even a thought. They were simply lost in the moment and having fun as kids should. Remember those days?
In a blink, our childhood turned into adulthood. Somewhere along the way our fun gave way to responsibility.. living in the moment gave way to living in the past or only thinking about the future. Spontaneity was replaced with the chores of life, the daily grind, career paths, retirement funds, and now the quickly changing social, political, and cultural landscape around us as we enter a new age of pandemic preparednesss, racial unrest, social outrage, and an upcoming election.
This past year and a half has been an absolute whirlwind for our family. Ever since "The Calamity" from early 2019, it simply hasn't stopped...nearly 18 months now of unscheduled, unscripted, and what feels like unrelenting chaos.
Starting with the media interviews in January of last year to the continuous flow of social media messages.. for better or for worse.
Not to mention the private messages, phone calls and meetings. It has all taken time and a toll.
From the vetting of a legal team to preparation of arguments as we filed lawsuits against both my former television station and also the Mayor of the City of Rochester, it has translated to time away from family and loved ones.
Starting a business from scratch without an established business plan, well you can imagine. We are very fortunate to have so many friends and family members that have been willing to pitch in and help. However, there is so much to this process from learning many new roles including tech implementation (software and hardware), graphic design (THANK YOU Jack Allen!), and then, there are SALES.
That alone has been an incredibly involved process, learning to read/understand digital analytics, and then using that information to show value to prospective sponsors. Developing relationships with local business owners, creating rate sheets, invoicing, account maintenance, etc... the volume of decisions necessary to get our #WxLIVE program operational, along with the daily grind of forecasting and social media engagement, has been simply overwhelming at times.
With all of this already on our plate, now throw into the mix this "new reality".
As of February, things were humming along with not one but TWO DAILY broadcasts including the newly launched 'PM DRIVE' and enough sponsor support to basically pay the bills. That was a small but significant milestone, and we feel very blessed to have been in that position. However, that was BEFORE Covid-19.
The corona virus hit and worse the reaction by many of our elected leaders...Shut down everything, quarantine everyone, have congress legislate massive bailout/stimulus bills and, of course, our main stream media took full advantage. National affiliates, cable outlets, and local newsrooms alike were suddenly buzzing as the "corona crisis" took hold and held everyone's attention with a constant barrage of pandemic related news, plus an unrelenting focus on virus related mortality and a "reinvisioned future" for our kids and the entire country.
To make matters even more chaotic, the death of George Floyd brought the media frenzy to an epic level, from orchastrated protests to out of control riots filled with looting in every major city in the United States.
Lisa and I did our best to keep up with the New Reality and shared much of it with you on the program. As we witnessed so many of our friends, neighbors, and fellow New Yorkers fall into a state of fear and confusion, we felt compelled to share our beliefs and our thoughts on the heartbreak of our nation. We felt it was important to look at what has been occuring in our world through a lense of faith, morality, and conservatism.
That's right, I said conservatism. Of course in this day and age when you share just about anything you open up yourself to criticism, that is ESPECIALLY true when you express any sort of non progressive/popular political point of view. This was to be expected, however, the volume of ridicule, judgement, and hate-filled responses were still difficult.
2019 presented challenges our family would have never dreamnt, and 2020 piled onto what had already become a painful, very uncertain, and extremely challenging time for us. After a year and a half of seemingly continuous chaos, it was definitely time for a break.
Like many, we had become tired, anxious and to a growing degree, less focused on the many blessings HE has already provided. Perhaps too focused on the many distractions/concerns growing up around us in this all too divided world. It was time to take a deep breath.. it was time to reflect on events. It was time to reconnect with family and loved ones. It was time to refocus on our faith and it was time to enjoy HIS goodness.
Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment.
After a couple weeks of downtime and intentional unplugging from the exhausting 24 hour news cycle, it has become apparent that a solution to current national affairs is far from here. Not that I expected it would be... However, it does not mean that HE is not still in control. When chaos becomes the norm, my hope is that people will become more resilient, more grateful for their blessings and remember to rely on/or find their Faith in the Lord of the Universe.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Lisa and I will be back from our sabbatical and with a renewed #WxLIVE at 845 starting Monday evening. Hope to see you then!
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