3-15-2023 12:57pm

Strengthening Our Town

Alamogordo, like other communities across the country, continues to face repercussions of the past years ….dis-ease and a shaky sense of confidence about the future.

We are facing economic hardship and continuing divisiveness about a lot of things.

The truth is we have been through a very rough patch. Our mental wellness has been threatened as our lives have been significantly affected.

Pausing and recognizing our situation can help us heal. Let’s cut ourselves some slack!

We all carry grief to some degree as we lost a sense of security. It can make us sad, angry, stressed, and disillusioned. We might feel unwell, hopeless, and helpless. This is all normal given what we have been through.

If we set a community goal of healing ourselves we can regain a sense of resiliency together. It will take some time but we can support one another. We will get stronger.

As we work to reestablish hopefulness we need messages of assurance from positive leaders. Watch for these role models. They will demonstrate hardiness and lead the way in reminding us of our values and capabilities to work together. They will not be divisive.

However, we can’t place the responsibility for healthy directions solely on community leaders…it will take every one of us. It begins at home.

If you are struggling, reach out…let someone know. If you can help, do so. This can mean connecting to services, a kind word, or providing the tangible. It seems simplistic but we need to start with the basics as they go a long way. If we don’t start here we might create a house made of cards…something shaky and unable to weather storms.

Recovery takes time and we need to take exquisite care of ourselves. We have been depleted and the best medicine is rest. This is what will allow us the energy to help others and rebuild well. It also can help us have a clearer view of the next steps toward the opportunities around us.

We all need to step up to the issues of distrust and disrespectful interactions if we are to work together to achieve some dreams. This will be an “inside” job and require some soul-searching.

I love this community and believe we have what it takes. I wish for us a spring “growing season” of resilience.

These things should help - let’s invest in ourselves.

Participate in long-standing and new community events, school, church, and recreational activities.

Play with your kiddos

Savor fun times

Support the Arts!

Buy local!

What will result? Personal and community agency. This means feeling and being in charge of one’s future. The good news is that creating a vision of resilience and accomplishing it is within our reach. Alamogordo Proud! (Image from Forbes)