Overwhelm and burnout everywhere I look, and yet also, hopePeople are tired, worn out, desperate, frustrated and flabbergasted. Me too, friends. Me too. Seems like everywhere I go folks are lamenting how hard things are right now. They share a sense of despair that I haven’t felt this collectively since COVID. From our political hellscape here in the US, where the administration is disappearing people off the streets, to just the actual weather being hot as hell, making folks lethargic. The struggle is real. But there’s hope. There’s always hope. Pull up a chair and let me tell you a little story of the good I’m seeing in people. The light in the world that reminds me that if we expand our “we” to include more of “them” we’ll end up with a bigger “us” that is taking care of each other rather than only focusing on greed and profit. This past week I was invited to a community building session by an amazing woman named Ylonda. Her energy is contagious and she is a person who makes things happen. Niles is very lucky to have her working to help build the bigger “us” here. Anyway, there were eight community members that attended this session with her, which may have you scratching your head and saying, “Well, that doesn’t sound like a lot. How can nine people make a difference?” To which I would reply, “Thank you for being so attentive and keeping up with the story here friend. Let me elaborate.” These attendees were seven powerful women and my non-binary self. Nine folks total who have big hearts, huge amounts of capacity, and a deep desire and commitment to serve and bring our community together. The space Ylonda held for us to share experiences, talk openly about the Black / White divide in Niles, and the need to create spaces and events where EVERYONE in Niles feels welcome and respected was sacred. I’ve been in loads of meetings in my years here on Earth, where well-meaning folks pontificate about the problems and then propose grandiose solutions. Solutions where you know they are never going to come to fruition, because who’s gonna fund it? Who’s gonna run it? Who’s gonna volunteer to make it a success for everyone? Yep, that’s right. When the hard part of actually doing the damn thing comes up, many folks kindly say, “Imma head out.” This felt different. We acknowledged that we were all busy. But we also knew that each of us had special skills, networks and passions to bring to the whole to make this attempt of positive change a success. Slow. Steady. Intentional. Inclusive. Sincere. You wanna know what we identified as one of the biggest problems to address? It’s that we have SO MANY people and groups in Niles that are working diligently to help their community but that they are either not aware of each other, are just laser-focused on their niche, or haven’t been invited to collaborate together. I often complain about the apathy of people. How they don’t show up to the polls or to the meetings. But the reality is, they don’t see the value in those processes and institutions because they’ve been let down or betrayed by them too many times. It’s hard for me to admit that as a person who is an elected official and appointed to various boards. Whether it’s small business owners like Bettina of Bee Crafty - who chairs the promotions committee that organizes family friendly events downtown, or non-profit organizations like Niles Neighbors - who coordinate volunteers to help the less fortunate among us, or individual citizens like Tim Oleson - who shows up to donate his time and energy to making Niles beautiful. There’s way too many people and groups to call out here, so I’m sorry if I missed you. Please know I see you and you are cherished for all you do! Both here in Niles and all over the world. The truth is, enduring problems cannot be solved with quick fixes. A great event won’t change decades of poverty, racism and political divides. But showing up regularly with an open heart, open mind and dedication to self-growth will. So I sit here with you today with my heart filled with hope. The right people will show up when their time to serve is needed. The folks who don’t feel aligned will gracefully bow out when they need to as well. No shame. Just love. Love and a lot of work. Together we can build a bigger “we.” I love you friends. Keep your head up and look for the glimmers of good in your everyday life. Hold on to hope and reject the idea that you are not capable to make the world a better place for all of us. xoxo, jess
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