Regularly local
Hit and Miss #31
Hello there!
This morning, I made my weekly trip to the Italian grocery. My two deli guys weren’t in today, but I felt at home nonetheless.
Tomorrow, I’ll visit my local Caribbean restaurant. It’s the restaurant’s thirteenth birthday, and I look forward to celebrating with my usual dish (large curry goat, spicy).
Tuesday, I’ll stop in at Ottawa Civic Tech’s weekly meetup. No doubt various members of my civic tech family will be around—this feels like a good week to get some work done together.
Wednesday, I’ll spend three hours volunteering with uOttawa’s Foot Patrol. It’ll be my last shift of the school year, one that I’m happy to spend with a good group of folks.
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, I’m not sure what I’ll do yet, but chances are they’ll involve seeing friends in familiar places. (Sunday, unfortunately, I have an exam.)
Sameer Vasta writes about being a regular in his community. (I also recommend subscribing to Sameer’s newsletter.) Jason Kottke, similarly, writes about being a regular at a local restaurant.
By getting to know some of a city’s people and places, you form your own version of it. My Ottawa includes local shops and their owners and staff. It also includes the meetup and volunteering groups with which I spend my time. My Ottawa probably doesn’t feel the same to another person, but I love sharing bits of it nonetheless.
I think it’s important to dig into your local community, to wander it intentionally and in so doing to appreciate it in your own way. Going a step further and sharing that appreciation with others enhances that experience.
What people and places make your local community feel like your own? Would you show me sometime? I’d appreciate that.
All the best for the week ahead,
Lucas
Sent on April 8th, 2018.