Skip to main content

Go with the Quo



A thread that runs through this blog since its inception is change, and how those of us in Columbia/HoCo respond to it. Some folks have beautiful memories of the way things used to be, and some are just fearful of what might happen in the future. Those who feel ready to be a part of something new feel the pushback.

This lovely piece by Mike Hartley (THREW Mikes EyEz) touches on the feelings of loss and regret when things one has come to rely on begin to go away.

Well some of us better than others at adapting. The older I get the less I feel like adapting. Maybe it’s because I’ve been adapting all my life and I’m tired of it. Maybe I’m getting selfish or lazy or intolerant. I hope those aren’t the reasons.

I’ve sat in plenty of meetings with residents railing against new initiatives and waded through post after post of social media diatribes about what Rouse would have wanted. Hartley captures a sense of what it feels like to see one’s world slipping away that gives me a better insight into where all those angry words are coming from.

He closes his piece with some words of encouragement. It’s hard to tell if they are for the reader or directed toward himself.

I guess I should go think of all the great things that come out of breaking the status quo. And then there are all those new and wonderful things that I’ve incorporated into my new status quo. So I guess the status can be a good or bad quo.

Change can be wonderful. It can also be a challenge. And, as Hartley points out, it is happening little by little, all the time. We learn to transform ourselves along with it, or we struggle. There’s always a little of both.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...