From the Editor
We are in the midst of the hottest time of year. These are the days when you burn your feet on the sand trying to get to the beach and getting into your car feels like stepping into an oven. A malfunctioning air conditioner, whether in the car or at home, equates to a major crisis. As much as I love summer, sometimes the heat gets to me!
“Staying cool” can refer to more than just your body temperature though. It can mean keeping your composure, calmness or level headedness. That’s hard to do these days!
With the pandemic still turning our world upside down. What initially felt like a short term disruption of life is now hitting four months with no end in sight.
“Keeping cool” also means to not become angry or flustered with an adversary or opponent. These days it seems like no one is staying cool. Political polarization is greater and nastier than ever leading to heated arguments. We seem to have lost the ability to agree to disagree.
“Staying cool” is a skill, perhaps even a lost art. Staying calm, especially in the midst of chaos and high stress, is a superpower! The calmest person in a room is typically the most powerful. Calmness or staying cool requires mastery over one’s self and emotions in all kinds of situations, not an easy task.
As a mother of a son with autism, I have spent decades working on this. Sometimes I succeeded and sometimes I didn’t. My son took his lead from me so it was critical that I maintained a calm demeanor, even in the midst of major meltdowns. Keeping my calm was always my best hope of getting him to restore his. The lessons I learned trying to “keep cool” in ALL situations have served me well in many other areas of my life.
Social media seems to be the least cool place of all. With the news channels a close runner up. The commercials alone of the candidates and parties attacking one another are draining.
Still… I try because I think “keeping cool” typically leads to better outcomes for all.
So often this summer though, the rules seem unjust, the future seems uncertain and the air feels sweltering. It’s at these times, I seek the ocean with it’s massiveness, calming waves, and cool water. It whispers to me “everything’s gonna be alright.”
In this issue of Shore Local we focus on the positive people, places, and events. We celebrate the resourcefulness of our businesses in their ability to adapt to our new climate. It is more critical than ever to support local businesses. Every dollar we spend will come back into our community or it will go to an out of state “big box” corporation. We choose today what our tomorrow will look like. Stay local & Stay cool South Jersey.
Peace & Love,
Cindy
