Knobe: Like a good sunrise, seeing old friends and meeting promising young people makes me feel good about the future
Some days on the planet are better than others.
This day has been one of the better.
Positive interactions with my fellow man (women).
It started with coffee at one of the popular spots in downtown Sioux Falls. Four of us. A political friend of nearly 30 years, and two newer friends. One of them was a young man, 30, who wants to give back to the community which has been his home for 15 years. He is running for City Council in the Central District. His first name is Zak.
You will hear and see more about him soon. He brought us together to talk about ideas on making Sioux Falls a better community. It was a good discussion. Lasted over an hour. We agreed to do it again. I left the discussion impressed with Zak’s intelligence and his desire to serve.
Second interaction was on the phone. Called a friend I see about twice a year. It was this person’s turn to reach out. Didn’t happen. So I did.
In an earlier post, I mentioned not getting caught up in giving material gifts this year, but saying out loud my feelings for people I know. A more personal gift.
I was able to find the right words. The conversation went well. Very well. I smiled as it ended.
Next was coffee with Randy McDaniel. Most of you won’t recognize his name or face, but if you heard his voice you probably would.
Randy and I worked together at KSOO radio. We co-hosted Viewpoint University for several years. At the risk of being egotistical, it was a darn good local talk show. We combined serious and silly. Entertaining and educational. We were a good team.
Our coffee conversation lasted almost two hours. Some age-related talk. Some of it funny. Some more serious. We reflected on our time together. We discussed the state of radio today. In our opinion, not good.
I was able to thank him for our years together and how much it meant to me. The time went fast. It started well. It ended well.
Last interaction happened at the grocery store. One of our local school board members was searching for something in the same area I was in. Our conversation revolved around school issues, especially Gov. Rhoden’s “no additional money for schools this year.”
That morphed into talk about how the district is working with the Bishop Dudley House to help children keep up in school. It is a positive story about our district.
That was my day. All of it positive. Uplifting.
James Brown, the late Motown singer, had several hit records. One of them was “I Got You,” widely known as “I Feel Good.”
I do.
Rick Knobe is a former mayor of Sioux Falls and a longtime radio talk show host who is now retired but remains active and involved in his community and state as an independent political observer and commentator. His columns appear regularly on The South Dakota Standard.
Photo: South Dakota’s Karl Mundt National Wildlife Refuge, public domain, wikimedia commons
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