New Year, New Who

The hope of a new year brings with it a perspective, a chance, a possibility, a change, or a promise that what is ahead will be better than what has been. We become focused on getting something done. We start to quote mantras that say we should just do it, or rather than get ready, we should be ready. As diverse as some of our hopes may be, there is a shared and marvelous view of watching how it all comes together. Our collective hopes reveal the divine obsession that makes our community become what it will be.

We have a list of the things we need, the things we want, and the things we can’t have. Making a priority list eventually falls under a few categories: food, shelter and clothing. Some may think this list is too simplistic, but that will only reflect the limitation of the type of thinking used to evaluate it. Food is more than restaurant options. Shelter is more than housing concerns. Clothing is more than what brand you are wearing. In this space, I will try to help you see how these drive all of the other concerns of our community.

There was a time when a parent could send their child by foot or bicycle to the store to pick up a few items. The stores were sometimes called convenience stores but have begun to disappear. Large chains or big box stores have taken over and are looking for the best real estate locations. Access to food means more than having a large chain grocery store. The term “food desert” reflects not just how many grocery stores there are but how easy they are to get to. A person with limited mobility or a child sent on an errand ought to be able to go to the store safely.

Communities or complexes that have people who work in law enforcement tend to have lower crime rates. This satisfies the need for adequate, affordable housing with ample safety and security. When we ensure that the police, sheriff’s department, fire department, and other first responders are properly compensated and appreciated, our shelter concerns improve. There is also the issue of the cost of housing in our community. We cannot talk about the need for better housing and then have people working against subsidized housing after advocating for the old housing to be replaced but not rebuilt.

Jobs, roads, and transportation concerns are subsets for taking care of our clothing needs. Our clothes, uniforms, and leisure apparel are paid for because there are enough gainfully employed people in our area. Building up the infrastructure and improving the areas that need it is part of the clothing priority. For our community to be clothed properly, we must have the right stuff for the right situation: an educated workforce, well-managed safety issues, and visionary leaders who strive to make sure that more than just their personal interest is served, will clothe us in such a way that it will have our community as a model for others to strive for.

Happy New Year, and be the thing you so desire to see in others.

HHJ News