Small Town News
The antidote to acrimony is community
Hello friends,
Is it just me, or are things a little crazy out there? I know, it’s not just me.
Lately, I’ve been realizing that I spend an awful lot of time worrying about things that are out of my control. I have long felt a responsibility to stay informed about what’s happening in the world, but it seems to be getting increasingly difficult to discern which voices are trustworthy. It’s finally dawned on me that while yes, it is important to keep an eye on national and international news, it is even more important to be an active participant in my own community. When I bring my attention back to a local level, things come into better focus. In my life, right now, today, I know what I need to do. I know who needs me, and what is not my business. I have a handle on the parameters.
It is in my community where I am most needed, and where I can actually affect positive change. The wider world is out of my hands.
So, in my little New England town, a group got together and did something. Our town newspaper folded many years ago, and we became a sort of news desert. The Boston media is active and relevant but never covers our local issues. The closest towns of Salem and Gloucester have their own papers, but can’t spend their limited resources on the surrounding towns. But we have a wealth of talent in our own community. People here have the experience and the will to make something happen, and so they did. Over many months of meetings in coffee shops and living rooms, the paper finally launched this week. A free print newspaper that lands weekly in every mailbox. Designed to keep us informed, and to bring us together.
Information doesn’t solve everything, but ignorance solves nothing. I am so proud to be a part of this launch and I believe that doing something in my little corner of the world can make a difference.
Most of you don’t live here with me, but my column is focused on community, which might also apply to the community you cherish.
Here are this week’s notes from a small-town newspaper.
Look for the Helpers
The signs were peppering the yards from Main Street to Bay Road before this year’s election. It was a catchy and maybe slightly cheeky way to remind us that as citizens we have a say in how our community is organized and maintained. “Don’t just vent,” the signs for the League of Women voters say, “VOTE.” It’s a lot easier to shout from the sidelines than it is to play the game, but when it comes to democracy, your participation is required.
What happens on the national level is most often out of our hands once our vote is cast. While we try to keep tabs on what is happening in the wider world, many of us find ourselves distrustful of the legacy media for numerous and varied reasons. But there always remains the option to come back to a hyper-local focus. What we can do with the feeling of unease is to lean on each other. Get to know our neighbors better. Walk through our streets and trails knowing that this is our home, these are our people, and this is where we can have an impact every single day. What a gorgeous corner of the world we are so lucky to call our own.
Over the last several years, the lack of a local newspaper has left a void in our community. A void of knowledge, a void of a sense of purpose, and a void of a platform to show how each of us fit into this gathering of people.
Social media pages tried to fill the void, but on those forums, it is often difficult to decipher the facts from opinion or hearsay. Disagreements tended to amplify the loudest voices in the room which were rarely the ones with the truth.
Our community has become fractured over time, and we need a moment to pull ourselves together. To have a place to come out of our silos and join in this common purpose that we all share. We all want to live in peace, to have the ability to learn, grow, and prosper, and we all care deeply about the safety and security of those that we love.
The antidote to acrimony is community. The answer is not to complain, the answer is to get involved. To try to affect the change you want to see. Once you get involved, you may start to see that there are reasons for the choices others are making, and you might also bring a welcomed fresh perspective that local leaders have been needing.
Many of us grew up under the influence of a stellar example of community responsibility, the late Fred Rogers. So often in public discourse and even from leaders on a national scale, we see behavior we would not allow in our children. So it makes sense to look back to the lessons of our childhood, where we learned patience, kindness, and respect for our neighbors, even those we disagree with.
Mister Rogers spoke to his viewers while he hung up his jacket, put on his cardigan, and changed his loafers to sneakers. He offered advice in the transitions, in the in-between times. His advice resonated because of the trust he built every day over many years. He said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
My plea is that if you have a concern, get involved. Become one of the helpers. Volunteer with Acord Food Pantry, or see what’s happening with the Food Project. Check out the events at the Hamilton Wenham Library where programs for all ages are happening every week. Join the League of Women voters, the Wenham Village Improvement Society, or help out at either the Hamilton or Wenham Council on Aging. We all have something to give to our neighbors. What do you want your contribution to be? That is how you will find your connection, and your place in our towns.
And when your work is done, nothing clears the mind more than a walk in the woods. From the Grassrides to Chebacco Lake, there are many miles to explore. Even in the snow, a set of grippers for your boots will keep you moving forward.
Stay informed. Stay hopeful. As we learned during the pandemic, we are all in this together.
I’ll write more later on my year of events for the Tigerbelles book, what will come next on that front (big news in the works!), and what else I’m working on. But for today, I wanted to celebrate this collective and continuing effort from my town.
Wishing peace and love for you and everyone you love, and the community that you call home.
All my best,
Aime