THE LIST: 'Change is all around us'

Change is all around us.

Case in point, many of us read Monday that Casey’s General Stores has paid naming rights for the next decade, starting next summer, on the arena in Des Moines now known as Wells Fargo Arena, where many of the state tournaments are hosted. I guess I will have to find new pun-filled headlines for when our athletes and teams do good things up at the state tournaments that don’t use the word “well” in them. Good news is that I hear pizza will be on the menu at The Casey’s Center when the change is made.

This is also the time of year we see change in our landscape. I love living in Iowa, not because of the extreme weather we experience, but because we do see all four seasons. The change this time of year is one of my favorites. The fall colors have been spectacular this week. Our new street sweeper in Greenfield will get a workout sweeping them up off the streets, if it hasn’t already.

I was amazed at who all is in the Big Ten Conference while I was watching football recently. Did you know that it is over 2,800 miles from Piscataway, New Jersey, where Rutgers University is, to Seattle, where the University of Washington is. I’m not saying they don’t belong, but I do miss the regional loyalty and nuances in style of play you seemed to get when conferences were more logical geographically.

Some things change in our communities and people argue over how it’s not right. Some things change for the better, some do.

With President Joe Biden’s choice to not seek re-election and Vice President Kamala Harris picking up the Democratic nomination to go against former Republican President Donald Trump in this election, the 2024 election is the seventh time that the incumbent isn’t on the ballot for President. Either way we vote as Americans, change will come and someone new will be in the White House come Inauguration Day January.

Sure, there are things that don’t change. I was watching an Iowa football game awhile back and their offense still leaves a lot to be desired, but they don’t stray from their identity. They’re going to be tough, use a lot of elite tight ends in their offense and have one of the best defensive units in all of college football.

I’ve got my candidate who I will vote for picked out. Are they perfect? No, they aren’t. But I shouldn’t expect them to be. What I am responsible for is dealing with the upcoming change, whatever it is. Hopefully I can follow my own advice come February or March, as easy as it is to type it right now. Check with me then.