A Note from Me To You
What's the why?
Switching things up a bit today, I wanted to answer a question many people have asked me regarding this newsletter.... why are you writing it?
The reasons are many.
A little news, but it's not a local news site
In part, I started this newsletter as a tactical response to the logistical challenges of living a life while also trying to keep tabs on the comings and goings of local politics - municipal activity, school board happenings, etc... My boys have sports practices and games nearly every weeknight and most weekends.
Attending township and school board meetings regularly is out of the question for most families in my stage of life. We're carting kids to extracurricular activities between dinner, homework, and bedtime. Just getting kids to shower and brush their teeth is a surprisingly Herculean task. (Why???! 😭)
I hope this newsletter highlights some of the things happening around town. It's not intended to be a sole news source but to provide periodic insight into events and changes in our governmental organizations. Local media across the country is light. This is my little contribution to making it more robust in our neck of the woods.
Love for our local businesses and community organizations
I also want to celebrate the local businesses and community organizations doing their darndest to make Chadds Ford a thriving place to live: from fitness studios to bakeries, coffee houses to art clubs, local farmers to the library, and everything in between.
Amazon can ship us sh*t all day, but that's not what builds community. I'd argue it isolates us. If you're the cynical type, maybe you think that’s intentional and for profit; you wouldn’t be alone.
In the monthly newsletters, I try to feature some of the events you might enjoy at local organizations. From time to time, I'll take a deeper dive to do a Q&A with a local business owner or round up 'best of' lists of places you can visit and support just a few minutes from your home.
Building community and connections among our neighbors
Mostly, I created this as a space to connect with neighbors, hoping to foster "IRL" connections and conversations. There's no bad time to get to know your neighbor better or bake them an apple pie 'just because.' Our national leaders are doing their best to sink the ship of a humane and collaborative society. Let’s not let them succeed on that front.
I know not all of you reading this newsletter have the same political opinions as I do. We won't always agree on tax policy, social service grants, or how to invest in streets, sidewalks, and new middle schools. 😉 But that's not what's happening in Washington.
I believe we all appreciate the relative ease and exceptionalism of living in a democracy, not under the rule of a king or an unelected, impulsive zealot. We may not all agree on how our government should work, but I bet we all want it to work - for our kids, grandkids, ourselves, and each other.
If you love the chaotic destruction some of our leaders seek to impose on our country, this probably isn't the space for you. I'm sorry to see you leave, and I hope you'll be back when it's a better time for you to be a good neighbor. For the rest of us, building a strong community across political, religious, and ideological divides is a cornerstone of democracy, and I hope we can work together to restore it.
Chaos is not necessary; it's destructive and dangerous. We have the power. He is weak. As Ezra Klein said in his recent opinion piece for the New York Times, "Do not believe him."
It starts here, with us. "We are the ones we have been waiting for." LFG. 💥
