Not All Who Wander Are Lost

There's been a lot of words written in review about this year, rapidly ending, and between now and New Year’s Eve, there’ll be a few more, I suspect. These are not intended to be a part of that. There's something disquieting about the neuralgia of nostalgia--seen through the prism of the past, events often take on a rosy hue, far more in retrospect than you might recall they had at the time they were happening.

I figure in a matter of weeks this, too, will be part of the 'Good Old Days' and perhaps that's better so. Meanwhile, I'd suggest we turn the page on the calendar since, soon enough, we'll be on at a new year and the start of another decade. When you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there-and there's many signposts up ahead. Instead of arguing over who is holding the map, who is steering and who’s called shotgun, let’s keep our eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel.

Let's promise one another to work to assure our elected officials, federal, state and local maintain their focus on the "Big Picture" while devoting attention to the finer details as well. In recent weeks, the women and men of my City Council here in Connecticut have been working hard to define a vision of Norwich, Next, and then refine the ways to achieve it.

It's not easy being an elected official anywhere in these United States and I've often thought sometimes, it's a little more challenging than it needs to be where I live. As someone who is not from here but who lives here now, I don't pretend to understand why sometimes it seems, we expect the worst. Maybe we’ve adopted a pessimistic mindset because that way we can only be surprised and never disappointed. We strike me as somehow being related to Eyeore, Winnie the Pooh's homefry, of sorts, who elevates pessimism to Olympian heights. But waiting for the other shoe to drop means it's much harder to dance in celebration, and perhaps 2010 is the year to dust off those dancing shoes.

The City Council we elected in November invested several hours on consecutive Saturdays (with the third yet to come, this Saturday at eight AM) learning to say aloud, and to one another, what many of us have whispered or feared to even think, and, by thus naming challenges and opportunities for us all, took a giant step in a positive direction as reflected in Monday night’s Council meeting agenda. No, you won't see the progress reflected on your property tax bill-at least not yet, but despite the dogs' barking, the caravan has started to move on. Small steps are how we start on long journeys and great adventures.

Some of us will argue into the new year, and beyond, on the merits and impact of City Council actions and decisions from their Monday night meeting--but we are starting to learn to own the consequences of our decisions. Maybe, just maybe, we're realizing the only way we can get to where we want to go is by going there together. That it's often not eaten as hot as it's served is a truth and a truism and is valid for where you live as well as for where I live. Grab a napkin and tuck in.

-bill kenny