Hello again, friends!
If you have been a diligent reader of this column over the years, you may have noticed I have not produced a new article in some time now. After nearly four years of writing two columns a month, and in the face of an unusually busy season at RiverWise, I decided to take a break from writing over the last 10 weeks.
If you have missed my writing, let me say how glad I am for that. Thank you for your kind patience as I took a break and tended to other matters.
If you enjoyed my silence, I regret to inform you that my absence was in no way permanent. I am now back, recharged, and eager to continue thinking aloud about the many important matters facing our shared life together here in Beaver County.
While not actively writing this column, I nevertheless spent considerable time thinking about all kinds of issues that are regular subjects here. I also tried to be thoughtful about reflecting on what these last three and a half years of “Community Matters” have contributed to my own thinking and to our collective public dialogue. Along the way, a handful of reflections and observations bubbled to the surface.
First, despite not actively writing any content, I was surprised at how often I thought of this column and the important role it has played in grounding my own thinking and leadership. There is something about having a public deadline that snaps one’s thoughts into focus. Writing this column has regularly performed this service for me, forcing clarity around ideas that were previously half-formed, unseen, or importantly wrong. On more occasions than I care to recount, over the last few months, I have allowed important ideas to go unexplored, uncaptured and unwritten. Though I kept telling myself I would come back to it, the lack of a deadline was far more determinative than my own fleeting resolve.
Second, and a bit to my pleasant surprise, I was encouraged that many of you continued to ask about or refer to issues addressed in this column even in its absence. Though I most always enjoy the writing and outcomes associated with creating “Community Matters,” I would be lying if I said that I did not sometimes wonder about its value. I was pleased to hear that its absence was noted and that at least some of you were eagerly awaiting its return.
Third, and maybe most important, were the lessons I learned afresh about balance, perspective and rest. Since starting to write this column in 2020, I have committed myself to increasingly complex and public projects with a continually growing number of community partners. That work is deep and rich in meaning and value. But it is also complicated, taxing, and often unending. Healthy communities rarely emerge from unhealthy practices. These last few months have been a reminder about the importance of taking time away from the day-to-day slog of community work. Failure to do so will inevitably create unhealthy and unsustainable change.
Fourth, and finally, as I spent the last few months away, I was reminded again of just how much excitement and opportunity exists in many of our communities. Over these last 10 weeks, I have been able to slow down a bit and observe emerging leaders, exciting projects, growing movements and established initiatives thriving in our communities. I have continued to watch, learn from and work with individuals who are committed to a brighter future and who are strategically moving to bring that about. And I have been invigorated to work with organizations, collectives and experts who are actively laboring to connect all this momentum to resources, expertise and opportunity that can help turn such collective vision into tangible reality.
Sometimes, as the saying goes, all you need is a new perspective. While I did not step away looking for a deep shift in perspective, I can say that getting away was helpful, welcome and healthy. I am glad to be back. And I look forward to continuing this ongoing journey of community change with you.
Talk to you again soon!
Daniel Rossi-Keen, Ph.D., is the co-owner of eQuip Books, a community bookstore in Aliquippa and the executive director of RiverWise, a nonprofit employing sustainable development practices to create a regional identity around the rivers of Beaver County. You can reach Daniel at daniel@getriverwise.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Community Matters: The value of taking a break
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