{"id":4516,"date":"2018-11-10T20:11:19","date_gmt":"2018-11-10T20:11:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/?p=4516"},"modified":"2018-11-10T20:11:19","modified_gmt":"2018-11-10T20:11:19","slug":"a-meeting-of-the-board-is-called-to-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reggiemorrisey.com\/?p=4516","title":{"rendered":"A meeting of the board is called to order"},"content":{"rendered":"

Years ago, I warmed to the idea of establishing a personal Board of Directors, a board made up of people - living or dead - whom I admire. The idea: Envision what wise humans would suggest I do in the face of major dilemmas and dicey situations. Reading quotes help me decide who among the famous should come to the table. <\/p>\n

Ben Franklin (1706 \u2013 1790) who valued not wasting time - \"The stuff life is made of\" - was my first choice, followed by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who ruled from 161 A.D. until his death in 180 A.D. Along with my artist husband, Vincent Mancuso, and Albert Einstein, they have served the longest.<\/p>\n

Marcus was born on April 26, the same day as my 10-year old granddaughter. She strikes me as wise and may one day take a seat between my daughters.<\/p>\n

Ben Franklin offered blunt words to live by - professionally and personally: \u201cEither write something worth reading or do something worth writing.\u201d <\/p>\n

Recently, I discovered about two dozen of my articles, published in The New York Times<\/em> in 1989 \u2013 1991, are archived on line. They cover issues large and small \u2013 from post traumatic stress syndrome among Cambodian refugees to preserving an historic Connecticut inn to building playgrounds for physically and emotionally disabled children to the Audubon\u2019s seasonal raptor count from a hilltop in Bedford, New York, to how sports can be a source of healthy esteem for at-risk teens. No frivolous waste of time here. <\/p>\n

Worthy use of my personal time: This year, I logged onto a Florida Democratic phone bank and texted registered voters, asking them to vote and canvass voters. If they did act, I would be thrilled.<\/p>\n

The words of the philosophical Marcus Aurelius challenge: \u201cAccept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together; but do so with all your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Florida, fate has bound me to some people who refer to the deplorable 45th president in glowing terms. Take last week: We met with a contractor to go over a master bath project. As he left our place, out of the blue, he dreamily said of Trump, \u201cI don\u2019t know how you feel; but I love the guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

How stunning! We didn\u2019t ask this stranger for his opinion. What made him venture to say he loved the guy ... in our<\/em> home?<\/p>\n

Thanks to my Board of Directors:<\/p>\n