Editorial
This is my last column of this millennium, and I have mixed emotions about that.
At first, I wanted to recap the century, recap the region, but settled on just noting that with the strength of the 1999 economy, all you can say is “What a way to go to the next millennium, having experienced the greatest economic boom in the century.”
Our company celebrated its 20th anniversary this year and a couple of things are worthy of note. We had the best year in the company’s history, not just because we have a great sales staff, but as the economy has continued to grow the last three or four years, so has the reputation of San Diego.
The once-sleepy border town filled with sailors and Marines has blossomed into a technology mecca, perfect for start-ups, emerging and relocating companies. We have gone from zero Fortune 500 companies to four.
As San Diego’s reputation grows, so does our prosperity. Just last week we were crowned America’s Fittest City.
In lieu of a long column on looking back at the last 100 years I thought I would share with you an E-mail I received from Vicki Wahlsten, a computer support technician at Park Village Elementary in Rancho Penasquitos. It is both cute and reflective of a toast to bring in the new century:
“May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.
“May you find a way to travel from anywhere to anywhere in the rush hour in less than an hour, and when you get there may you find a parking space.
“May Friday evening, Dec. 31, find you seated around the dinner table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends, ushering in the new year ahead. You will find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night.
“May you wake up on Jan. 1st, finding that the world has not come to an end, the lights work, the water faucets flow, and the sky has not fallen.
“May you go to the bank on Monday morning, Jan. 3 and find your account is in order, your money is still there and any mistakes are in your favor.
“May you ponder on Jan. 4: How did this ultramodern civilization of ours manage to get itself traumatized by a possible slip of a blip on a chip made out of sand?
“May God give you the strength to go through a year of presidential campaigning, and may some of the promises made be kept.
“May you believe at least half of what the candidates propose, and may those elected fulfill at least half of what they promise, and the miracle of reducing taxes and balancing budgets happen.
“May you be awestruck by God’s sense of humor as you wrestle with the possibility that a professional wrestler could become president of the United States.
“May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them.
“May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues.
“May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner, and may your checkbook and your budget balance and may they include generous amounts for charity.
“May you remember to say ‘I love you’ at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parents, your friends; but not to your secretary, your nurse, your masseuse, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor.
“May we live as God intended, in a world at peace and the awareness of his love in every sunset, every flower’s unfolding petals, every baby’s smile, every lover’s kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.”
