Several years ago, I had a pretty serious health issue where I was bleeding a lot internally and the doctor could not find out the cause. It was not an ulcer but it was definitely in my stomach.  It stopped just as suddenly as it started.  When they scoped my stomach they found a small irritation that was probably the cause. (Apparently something sharp poked my lining and causing it to bleed for a while.) After waking up from the scope, the nurse said that my doctor had spoken to the specialist and they decided to schedule me for a series of additional scopes and procedures to try and find the cause.

After coming fully out of the anesthesia, I told the nurse that I would not agree to the additional tests.  She asked me why and I told her that no one makes decisions for me like that without me being in the meeting.  Later, my doctor came to see me and asked why I refused the tests.  My answer, while much longer in person than here, was that problem was in my stomach not further down, and I thought they were simply looking for something that they could use to explain the bleeding (not to mention get paid for some more tests.) When he asked what I thought we should do, my answer was to remain diligent but not paranoid.

The reason I tell you this long story is that every day it is easy to get very cynical reading all of the headlines and blogs out there that tell you that the end is near for our economy and the country.  Negative headlines are the most compelling to look at and to read.  The emotion of fear is much easier to accept than an attitude that no matter what happens we will find an answer for it and move forward.

I am not trying to deny that we, as a country, are in a difficult place right now and the economy is not as healthy as it should or could be, but that is not going to make me paranoid and paralyze me from moving forward.  I refuse to be afraid of the future and am confident that we will survive and continue to grow and improve.

In the next few weeks we will look at some of the attempts out there to make us afraid and what we can do about it.

~Gary L. Rathbun

President & CEO