For many in Ops, the last days of summer can be a chance to escape on vacation and evaluate the past eight months in quiet moments. Was it a productive time, frustrating or a complete loss? Will the last four months of the year be a chance to truly shine? If things weren’t stellar, is there a chance for redemption?
Of course, one glance across the globe at the many, troubling international crises and toward the dysfunctional federal government in Washington, D.C. and all hope could easily evaporate. But I think there are still lots of reasons to feel good about this year so far and, in particular, to enjoy the last weeks of summer, which doesn’t officially end until September 21.
So, undaunted by harsh reality, here are my Top 10 Reasons to Celebrate Summer 2014:
10.) For starters, August 2014 has five Saturdays and thus five weekends to plan getaways.
9.) The World Cup was great to watch and many of the better matches coincided with happy hours in the U.S. or could at least be presented only a few hours later. (And, at least the U.S. team beat expectations and didn’t spectacularly flame out like some other teams.)
8.) The weather in New York City was uncharacteristically great for a summer. Usually, it’s a living hell that tries all souls – even Mother Theresa would be troubled by the Inferno that is a New York City summer. (Let’s hope the good weather holds out throughout September.)
7.) For those of us lucky to be on the cruise, the FTF News awards ceremony aboard the Hornblower Infinity yacht, launching from Pier 40 into the New York Harbor was a welcome respite from a busy season.
6.) Binge-watching “Orange is the New Black” episodes on Netflix easily make you feel good about your life and work.
5.) The U.S. economy is tenaciously fighting its way back despite the obstacles of the federal government and other economies that are in a precarious condition.
4.) Despite the ongoing rancor in Washington, D.C., there was one sign of hope that bipartisanship isn’t entirely dead. The Senate approved and Obama signed a major expansion of veterans’ health care coverage and gave the Department of Veterans Affairs more leeway in fixing the abuses within its health care system and hospital network. Will any of this bipartisanship spill over into regulatory reform?
3.) In a truly life-affirming situation, Austin Hospital of Melbourne, Australia, apologized to 200 patients who were listed as dead when they were actually happily alive. The hospital had sent out erroneous faxes that declared the patients deceased, according to a Reuters report. Patient care and medical bills were unchanged by the mistake, however.
2.) In New York’s Times Square, the mildly annoying people who put on costumes to look like Elmo, Batman and Spider-Man have stopped scaring children by fighting with the police over tips and fist-fighting among themselves. Instead, they have set up the Association of Artists United for a Smile to channel their energies in a more positive way.
1.) The nearly ubiquitous ALS Association Ice Bucket Challenge has raised $79.7 million to date to combat Lou Gehrig’s Disease, according to an online report from Time magazine. The challenge, which some critics say inspires a narcissistic approach to fundraising, has been an unabashed success via the Web and has been a game-changer for an organization and a cause that needs the money.
Of course, you are free to come up with your own lists or you can just enjoy your downtime before you take on the next great Ops challenge.
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