Turning the Page

I've been doing this online on a daily basis for over fifteen years (yeah, I was surprised to rediscover that) and in the pages of my local newspaper for over a decade.
This (for the most part) is from so long ago, that the original was written in all lowercase letters because the alphabet was still so young. 

In what I can only assume was an unconscious self-own I called it:

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

As a well-meaning friend once told me, when you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there and there are 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 our City Council have been struggling and juggling a variety of issues, some great and others less so, that are all important to those of us whom they represent.

It's not easy being an elected official anywhere and I've often thought sometimes, it's a little more challenging than it needs to be in these parts where we often fail to separate the idea from the person advocating for it which leads to a lot of what I call, 'love me, love my dog,' kind of loyalty, which is to say, none at all.

As someone who is not from here but who lives here now, I don't pretend to understand why sometimes we expect the worst. Maybe we’ve adopted a pessimistic mindset because then we can only be surprised and never disappointed. But waiting for the other shoe to drop means it's harder to walk confidently towards a future of our own making, which is what we all want for ourselves and our families.

The City Council we elected in November has a plateful of projects to sort out, not forgetting everyone's favorite annual pastime, the formulation, and passage of a City Budget where we turn out in droves (relatively speaking) to advocate not for specific improvements or enhancements but for decreases in programs that we don't like to reduce our property taxes while somehow maintaining all the services we currently have.

This Council will be temporarily reduced to six members, but the workload won't lessen and the importance of what the City Council, together with the City Manager, do will most certainly not be reduced. Thanks to new tools like Envision Norwich 360!,  we have not only the means of making our desires heard, but a responsibility to do so. Remember, we’re looking for progress, not perfection.

Not that you’ll see either (or both) reflected on your property tax bill-at least not right away, but despite the dogs' barking, the caravan has started to move on. Small steps are how we start on long journeys and great adventures.

Maybe, just maybe, we'll realize the only way we can get to where we want to go is by going there together. And that it's never eaten as hot as it's served is both a truth and a truism, so grab a napkin and tuck in.
-bill kenny