“These are dark times, there is no denying. Our world has, perhaps, faced no greater threat than it does today,” The Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

Not sure why, but Scrimgeour’s words, or should I say, J.K. Rowling’s words, have been ringing in my ear for days. Perhaps because we are moving swiftly toward Standard Time when night will overtake day or because the very consequential mid-term elections are almost here, and “As of August 28th, 170 billionaire families have spent over $1.7 billion to influence the outcome of the 2026 federal midterm elections. 17 of these families—who collectively gave $363 million this cycle—had direct personal or professional connections with convicted pedophile Jeffery Epstein” (Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund). Maybe it’s because a comedian’s loose tongue gets more media coverage than Trump’s lies. Regardless, everyone everywhere is in agreement that these are dark times, and I for one am desperate to find some happiness, not simply in a hedonistic sense of the word, but in our Founding Father’s notion of creating a sense of wellbeing for our families and communities and country which is a far cry from an illegal war, an inept government, and a bought Congress who is taking down our unalienable Rights.

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