I was having a great day at work today and decided to buy my staff some Izzy's ice cream from the Birchwood Cafe because it is super hot and feels like the last hurrah of summer. As I was waiting in the turn lane for the light rail train to pass, I saw a man look at the train coming and jump in front of it. A man that was standing near by ran over and tried to help but it was obviously too late, in many many ways. There is probably a story here about a crumbling social services safety net, the lack of funding for mental health services, and the debate over health care access for all but quite honestly I don't have the mental energy for that today. What I will say is that as I was taking to the very kind transit officer that was getting my statement, the only thing that I could think about was how soon I could see my family. Just a half an hour before all that was on my mind was staff morale and getting ready for a fabulous reception that the Minnesota Council of Foundations is putting on for foundation staff to socialize tonight. But really, that isn't where priorities lie when you are shaken awake by tragedy.

So I leave to to you guys and the other really talented people in the nonprofit and government sector to figure out what it takes to stop these kind of tragedies from happening again but what I will say is hold your loved ones a little bit tighter and in the busyness of the day, don't forget what is really important.