In some ways, I think many of us were hoping for a global reset with this pandemic.

An opportunity for everyone to reassess how the world works and to reconfigure it—especially those broken systems that aren’t serving (or have never) served our needs.

However, what we’re finding is some minor revisions, a few moments of insight and a lot of frustration about not being able to go back to the usual. Unfortunately, the usual has already changed and despite the desire, it’s the equivalent to wanting to revisit a golden era of our past… which may not have been as great as we remember it to be.

But, what we’ve become hyper aware of in the last year is our own community.

We’re recognizing the businesses in our community (especially those that are struggling), the events and the many ways the people in it are reaching out. In being forced into isolation, we’ve once again shrunk our world to those immediately around us.

Pardon the cadence, but the global cesspool is being replaced with the cozy village.

The tiresome flood of digital information, laden with sensational headlines and clickbait marketing tactics, is being absconded for something close.

Something real.
Something nearby.

We just may be learning how to connect with each other again.