Two Roads Diverged In 2022

"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost?is one of our favorite poems -?for both my?daughter and me. I remember reading this poem?to her so many times during her elementary and middle school years. It used to be our favorite poem to read as she began to sleep... Here are the first few lines as a refresher:

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could?..." Robert Frost

I am happy to share that our daughter Suhani graduated with Honors in Environmental Science and Journalism from the University of Washington in Seattle. We were?thrilled to attend?the graduation in person, and?are quite proud of her?achievements, learnings and different experiences ???during the college years, and can't wait to see what new roads she travels next... it's exciting times indeed!

While our daughter is getting ready to start her new adventure, our nation's path is at crossroads again...

On the one hand our nation's highest court has handed out an important decision to?overturn?Roe v Wade, which amounts to?restricting women's rights;?on the other, Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in as Supreme Court justice at 51 years age, making her the first Black Woman on the court. On May 24, our nation yet again witnessed a?horrific shooting in Uvalde, Texas?where 19 innocent children and 2 teachers were murdered by an 18-year old man using semi-automatic assault style rifle?AR-15 gun; as if to add insult to injury, our nation's?highest court overturned a New York law, which amounts to now permitting folks to carry guns in public. One saving grace:?President Biden signed into law the first major gun safety legislation (although semi-automatics, assault style rifles and high capacity magazines are still very much legal)?passed by Congress in nearly 30 years.?

When we are surrounded with so many negative news, it's very easy to get disheartened, disappointed and discouraged... when the news of Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade hit, our daughter, on our family group chat on iPhone, instantly shared her reaction about how mad she feels about this. Yes, we all felt really mad about why our nation's highest court is going in reverse on so many issues. Even I?shared my displeasure?publicly. However, we are a nation that practices active democracy; hence, for every important?decision made by our courts or governments?that doesn't make common sense (and believe me, our Supreme Court and many state governments?are?resorting to uncommon sense lately), we, as citizens and residents, have our right?to protest peacefully, right?to express our thoughts freely, and right?to ask our elected representatives to do something.?

Despite these setbacks at national and personal level, not to mention the very high inflation,?small business owners are showing a lot of resiliency.?

"As Inc. reports, the study by financial technology company Kabbage found that while 83 percent of small businesses expressed concern about an inbound economic recession, 80 percent of the surveyed 550 respondents across 13 industries say they are confident in their chances of enduring one."

One big reason for this confidence: Higher prices (which again contribute to inflation.) The pandemic forced the small business owners to raise prices, and these higher prices are actually helping them with cashflow and profits. Of course, in order to survive the pandemic, business owners had to innovate and create a loyal customer base by building a strong brand.?

I invite every?small, diverse, veteran & local business to join oGoing business community, share your story, promote your products and services, and make meaningful connections. Did you know that each new business that joins oGoing is verified? We are definitely taking the road less traveled by?building the most authentic community for small businesses from the ground up!?

On this July 4th, as we all celebrate our nation's birthday, let us remember these diverging words by President FDR:

“Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.”

and

"In these days of difficulty, we Americans must and shall choose the path of social justice… the path of faith, the path of hope and the path of love toward our fellow man.” -?Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Thank you for reading and supporting oGoing and my family ??

-?Sanjay??? ??

p.s. I feel really?blessed and grateful that my family?got to celebrate my father's 86th birthday last week. There's no greater joy than enjoying such warm?family moments.?