Dear Readers,

It’s been a while since I wrote, and since that time… Things have been changing. Not even subtle. It feels more like with a BOOM – life as we used to know it came back to us. And not a moment too soon! One of the major ways I can tell this is in my event calendar and people are walking into our office.

 

See, they aren’t afraid anymore to walk down the street and smile as they pass someone, or to just walk in someone’s home or office and say hello. Or bring a pie, or cupcakes, or some other tasty treat. Yep, that’s been a lovely by-product of back to life – people have been bringing us a lot of baked goods recently. I take that not so much as they think we deserve them – but that they are finally able to do something they love again – bake, gift, pay a visit – whatever it may be, and it feels GREAT!

Going to events feels great too. Being around people and socializing, networking, mingling – whatever you want to call it – gathering in one place with a bunch of people, which of course has been foreboden in the last year – is truly refreshing.

I’m a people person. I get my energy off of interaction with others – just a simple conversation, something completely benign, unplanned, and without merit, can fill me with such joy in a day. I had forgotten that feeling for a while, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to experience it again.

As I sat at the Dunking Booth that YOUR Williamson sponsored at Main Street Festival recently – all I could think of was: COMMUNITY – that sense of being and belonging. COMMUNITY. We have it here in spades, and it is one of the candles that was snuffed out for so long during the pandemic, and the community of our town, county, neighborhoods, schools, churches and all manner of groups and gatherings, is the lifeblood to me and so many, I am sure. So it feels good to have that sense of community burgeoning back; children getting ready to return to a school year that is – GOD WILLING – NORMAL! And everything else we have to look forward in a return to living – to life.

Speaking of that Dunking Booth – it goes without saying the stars of that show were our fabulous volunteer dunkees: Jason Collins, Woody Woodruff, Kevin Townsel, Glenn Johnson, Matt Largen, Bruno Pirecki, Jason Gregg, Patrick Baggett, Clay Perry, Carmine Grassi, Justin Martin, Matt Daniel, Frank Miller, Brian Beathard, Scott Shake, Mary Hannah McHaffie, Travis Anderson and Derby Jones - all members of our community, all ready to give of their time to raise money for the Heritage Foundation of Williamson County at their signature “community” event. When I think of all those who have come before and been integral in creating events such as this – putting them on, sponsoring them, and all the many volunteers and supporters who bring time and skills to give back in ways big and small – I know we will right this ship and the year that was lost can be regained in all the great things ahead!

Enjoy the dog days of summer friends, and get ready for back to school and all the fun in the sun that August brings!

Shelly Robertson Birdsong | Publisher| shelly@robertsonmediagroup.com