Voices of Healdsburg — May 2020

I was asked to write about my community recently. With the shelter in place order in effect I have been at home so I don’t have a lot of community updates. This is probably a great time to reintroduce myself to this community.

I have lived in Healdsburg for most of my life. My careers have provided me the opportunity to become familiar with most Sonoma County towns. My primary career was being a Chef in the era prior to celebrity chef. I have been in sales the past 20 years and am currently Owner/Agent of a “Cloud Based” real estate brokerage. I am a member of the Healdsburg Kiwanis Club and serve on that board of directors. I am also on the City of Healdsburg’s Senior Citizens Advisory commission. My journey towards working with seniors began 15 years ago. It seems to be a big theme in my life these days.

This past year I have lived with my father Arnold Santucci, a former columnist for this publication. Dad is 100 years old and going strong. My Mom was 100 years old when she passed in December 2018. Raising twin children was an amazing experience. Raising 100 year olds is beyond belief. For example. I was living with Dad about a month. I had this down. What could go wrong? Then our doctor asks me, “What are you doing about Dads toenails.” Holy crap! How could I miss that? I have toenails. I don’t seem to screw that up too much. It turns out that Medicare provides all of these services.

Now you know a bit about me. What’s your story? Are you feeling perfectly balanced and totally in sync with the universe? Send comments to: mailto:HBG_Gazette@sonic.net

Here is what has fascinated me for the past twenty years.

I don’t know about the rest of you but the world feels like everything is changing quickly. I read about the world turmoil, housing and politics and I need good news.I have great news and a solution to all the turmoil, knowledge is power.

If you removed all political news, all of the housing crisis news, all of the healthcare news I wonder how we would feel? I think we would feel just as unsteady and here is why. We are on the tail end of the Industrial Age and are now in the INFORMATION AGE.

If you subscribe to my hypothesis regarding everything changing and there is uneasiness from it then here is what to do.I have found that helping others, getting away from media, exercising and embracing change helps me.

Realize that the way we communicate, bank, shop and essentially everything is changing and with that comes fear. Old school says to leverage fear and that is what is happening.

I will leave you with this. Our World War II veterans and the greatest generation is fading. That combined with the other changes makes this the scariest time we have ever lived in. Knowing that and that the only thing we have to fear... should arm you to be stronger, work harder, love more and help others.

There, I feel better now.

NOTE: I believe that the entire world’s economies and trade is changing and that the general feeling of uneasiness is behind all of it. Last time this happened we were entering the Industrial Age and that worked out pretty good.

—Bob Santucci