Huntersville - United States

In the movie Waking Ned Devine, there's an incredible scene that in just a few brief moments accurately illuminates the complicated world of friendships among men. In a chaotic compilation of coincidence and chicanery that you'll just have to see to understand, a man in his late '60s has to deliver an unrehearsed eulogy honoring his best friend, who squirms wide-eyed in the pew, as surprised by the series of events as the rest of the congregation.

Three years ago, I helped move my daughter into her college dorm room as a freshman at Elon University.

They come about every other day. Sometimes it's just one. Other times, they come in bunches.

You might not recall (you probably remember less these days) but 30 years ago, after spending several days with your father-in-law on a trip to Florida, you decided it would be a good idea to write a letter to yourself, to be opened sometime on or around your 80th birthday.

Much has been said about the “Connect Our Future” initiative of the Centralina Council of Governments, funded in large part by the federal government. But its proponents have been doing nearly all of the talking while local elected officials are mostly pledging their support and participation in helping to plan the “super region” surrounding Charlotte.

You know the story.

The Lake Norman High School of my memory is a formidable fortress of red brick with a navy blue, metal roof. It is a place surrounded by quiet woods over which eagles fly in circular patterns. The dark, tinted windows encasing the school's stairwells glisten from the outside, rippling your car's reflection as it approaches the security gate where visitors must state their official business before entering.

As you get older, at least to a point, you're supposed to get smarter. But I can tell you, right here on the verge of crossing a significant lifespan threshold, it's just not so. My parents have gotten smarter, but all I'm discovering is more things I just can't figure out.

Dear President Obama:

While I know that you probably will never read this letter, and that it's contents likely will be dismissed as delusional idealism, I feel compelled to write it anyway.