I donât believe talismans or lucky numbers contain any magic beyond the power you give them, but I do believe in the power you give them. If a certain object or numeral gives you comfort or confidence, great, Iâm all for that. Thumb that worry stone if it eases your concerns. We all need something. But for me theyâve never had any sort of conjuring effect. However, I do have an affinity to the number 9.
I was born on the ninth day of June (making me a solid Gemini), so perhaps that accounts most for my leaning, but more than that, I just like the number. I like its roundness and its oddity. That itâs divisible by three, instead of that haughty and righteous number two that always insists on cutting things right down the middle.
This all said, Iâm especially thrilled to announce that this edition marks the ninth anniversary of the Sun Day! I know it doesnât possess the conventions of the ten-year milestone, but Iâm not much for conventions, so Iâm thrilled that this year the Sun Day turns my favorite number: 9.
Years ago (in 1999, which really should have been a good year for me but was not), my wife and I owned a restaurant. It was actually a cafĂ© in Park Ridge called Engine No. 9, pulling from my fondness for the number. But my fondness and whatever luck my favorite number held ended in the cafĂ©âs name because that business closed only a few months after opening. A number of things went wrong to make it a âfailure,â not the least of which our ignorance and inexperience. But what that endeavor left me with was a deep respect for people making that terrifying leap into entrepreneurism and an idea of what it takes to make a business successful.
Nine years into the Sun Day, I still have a hard time saying itâs a success (despite that itâs been around for just one year shy of half of Sun City Huntleyâs existence) because I know from our cafĂ© that things can go downhill real fast. But the fact is the Sun Day has some lasting power, and I can only credit its longevity in the community to, ultimately, YOU: all the Sun City residents, all our readers.
Our advertisers, of course, put the gas in the tank, so to speak, but only because you are patrons of their businesses, which gives us the fuel to continue to cover the community, report on its affairs, and highlight (as best we can) the accomplishments of a community intent on living life to the fullest, which you all do so well and colorfully. If you didnât, we wouldnât have so much to report on.
So in a way, I want to say thank you for being you. For reading, for keeping the Sun Day going for 9 years for simply being yourselves. You, dear readers, are a delight, and Iâm happy and proud to have the Sun Day be a part of your lives and community for 9 years. Thank you.
And thank you to our advertisers, especially the earliest ones. Your support and belief allows us to continue this endeavor into the Sun City community. Thank you.
