Director’s Log | March 2018

When I was growing up in Wrightsville Beach, all I really needed for a successful day of fishing in my boat was an anchor and some 87 octane.

The anchor helped me stay rooted in the spot I wanted to be. The 87 octane was the fuel I needed to find the next spot if the fish weren’t biting.*

It’s not a bad analogy for what all of us need in life – and not a bad summary of the stories in this month’s Digest.

We need anchors in our lives – family or teammates and churchmates, people who speak the same dialect as we do, people working on the same challenges we are. These anchors give us comfort and confidence. And these stories show us how.

And we all need some fuel that can help move us from one location, or one way of thinking, to another – a new visitor to our community who helps us see a new opportunity, offers a new perspective, or offers us new words to express what we are trying to say. This month we look at stories of how that is happening across the state.

The two ideas – the power of roots and the value of change – feed each other. It’s hard to have the energy and confidence you need to explore a new job, imagine new ways of doing childcare, or to imagine new membership in your church if you don’t have the confidence that comes from anchoring values. And it’s hard to find where you want to anchor yourself if you aren’t open to new ideas and energy.

So settle in, cast a line into the stories throughout, and we’ll hook you up to some new ideas!

Happy Spring!

Leslie

*Note: It’s well known now, 50 years later, that 87 octane is really NOT the best fuel to run your boat engine on. A good reminder that if the fuel you think is right doesn’t get you to where you need to go, you need to be willing to change fuel!