Welcome back to The Sunstone Way.
What a whirlwind of a week last week was, with Irvine Tech Week, including the first Irvine Tech Week 5K and FirstGen Color Run. There were many great events, and I am proud of the Sunstone team who helped put on several, including the runs (a boost for the Sunstone Community Fund) panels hosted by Sunstone Management, Inc., and by American Lending Center, presence at several other events and more.
A good long night of sleep is deserved after all that work.
Bad Time To Snooze
Unfortunately, we’re right in the middle of National Stop Snoring Week. Yes, that is indeed a thing. The British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea (spelled Apnea here) Association started the week in 2018 to raise awareness about snoring and the many effects it can have on people.
I don’t snore, of course. At least I’m pretty sure I don’t. I haven’t had the chance – or the inclination – to ask my wife.
But I understand how a snorer can disturb the snoree, and how that could put a great strain on the health and relationship of both partners. You know I am very big on partnerships, so it is important that we deal with this situation.
Sleep Divorce
There are apocryphal stories about couples separating over snoring. I suspect there’s more than snoring issues if it has progressed to divorce, but I’ve discovered there are other, less drastic, solutions.
One response, if there is room (literally), is for couples to sleep in separate bedrooms. Recent news stories have said that between 25 percent and 40 percent of couples have separate sleeping arrangements. I suppose it depends on how loud the snorer is whether that means separate beds or separate rooms.
As long as it isn’t separate houses, I guess that’s a way to keep a marriage, make that partnership, together.
I have to say, though, that it takes a bit of a hero for one person to give up a bed to allow the other person to sleep. Maybe even a superhero.
Superhero For The Ages
Here at Sunstone, we’re always looking for superheroes. We like superheroes because they are consistently trying to help others – that’s sort of the definition, right? And for many of us, maybe most of us, a longtime dream is to become a superhero.
My personal superhero is Captain America. Steve Rogers, determined to help America overcome the Nazis during World War II, tries to enlist, is rejected, then given the chance to try an experimental serum to become a “super soldier.” And Captain America is born.
Captain America first appeared on Dec. 20, 1940 – even before the United States entered World War II. His patriotism was second to none, and he excelled at putting himself in harm’s way to allow others to survive.
Recipe For Longevity
While Captain America wasn’t the first American comic book superhero, he was the first to appear on a movie screen. The 1944 serial film “Captain America,” was the precursor of the Marvel Universe. His patriotism was so strong, the comic was deemed appropriate for soldiers by the U.S. Department of War without any screening.
While there were a number of World War II superheroes, Captain America was by far the most popular. But even that couldn’t keep him in print in the post-war world. So his creators put him in deep freeze, to be revived at the appropriate time.
That time was the ascension of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee and a more nuanced Captain America. He was still patriotic, but it became more of a fight between the forces of good and evil. Oh, and there was a partnership with a group known as the Avengers.
A Partnership For Good
As is always the case for comic book superheroes, there have been many twists and turns for Captain America and his friends. And despite the title of the latest movie, “Avengers: Endgame,” I’m certain that the team’s adventures will find a way to continue.
It is, after all, a classic theme – coming together to protect and further the common good. I like the sound of that. It is The Sunstone Way.
As always, be a Sunstone!
John Keisler
CEO & Managing Partner
Sunstone Management, Inc.
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©Sunstone Management, Inc. 2024
More About Sunstone Management
Sunstone Management is a diversified private capital sponsor firm headquartered in Southern California. Identified by Financial Times as one of America’s Fastest Growing Companies three years in a row. In the latest Pitchbook rankings, Sunstone Management was #15 in the third quarter of 2023 nationally, and #18 in the fourth quarter.1
- Rankings from Pitchbook Venture Monitor, Q3 and Q4.