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Live United by Erin Haag

When I was asked to write this article, I started mentally sifting through the myriad of issues I could write about. The statistics and the stories behind them. There’s no end to those. Which one do I choose? Do I talk about food insecurity? Do I write about the changes that have happened over the last few months? The battles of do I dare talk about politics and how the changes at the federal level have impacted us in very real and meaningful ways?

I don’t have it in me to write about any of that right now. It’s a week to celebrate, to take a deep breath as we transition to summer. Maybe it’s a little bit bittersweet, too, with all these changes. This week, I picked up my sweet girl from her last day of middle school. I heard about alpacas in the school courtyard and admired the artwork brought home. Yesterday, I waited for the buses to pull out, and witnessed a whole sidewalk of school teachers and staff wave and cheer and hoot and holler at their students. Cheering them on to the very last second.

Yesterday, I was on the ball field. Two Albert Lea teams played against each other, and the coaches would forget who they were rooting for and cheer on opposing players. The players reminded their coach that there were no friends allowed in softball. Best friends on opposite teams talked a little bit of trash talk — the good kind.

It’s officially summer in my household. When I was the age of my children, summer was macaroni and cheese and no-bake cookies in the freezer. It was walking up to our neighborhood pool where my big sister was the lifeguard, and laying on the hot concrete. I ran around barefoot and convinced my cat to snuggle with me while I read books in the hammock outside. I biked to Walmart and came home with whatever I deemed important enough to buy. As an adult, I have absolutely no idea what those important things were.

My children have a different lifestyle than I did. They’re not quite farm kids, but they’re country kids, with woods to explore and chicken coops to clean out. They’re also sports kids. They’re playing basketball in the driveway and hitting balls. This summer, we’ll be on a ball field five to six nights a week. Thinking about what I wanted this summer to be, it was to slow down. I decided that this is the year my children are scheduled less — in the daytime anyway. A few adventures scheduled with 4-H or Community Education are planned, just enough to keep them from getting entirely bored. I joked to a friend that this was the summer I was letting my children run a little feral.

I recently spoke about food insecurity to a room packed full. After listening to a variety of presentations, I broke the ice by telling everyone to stand up and stretch and move around. Then I started talking. Just a high-level overview, because 10 minutes is not nearly long enough to develop into the world of food insecurity in Freeborn County, and the current state of affairs. Wrapping up, I reminded the group that even when it might not feel like it — our community cares. To illustrate, volunteers for United Way were asked to stand up and be recognized. A good 15 to 20 people stood up. They might have been rolling their eyes at me when they stood up, but they stood up and absolutely deserved all the recognition.

One of the most common issues I have at work is people thinking I’m the only one they can talk to. Folks will call and ask for me by name, and I’ve had to train my team of volunteers and staff to find out what the issue is. It’s rarely a situation where they really do need to talk to me directly, but somehow they’re surprised to find out that the person they are talking to can handle making an appointment, or providing them with resources

Our community, and communities across the nation, are full of big emotions right now. There’s heartache and anger and frustration — on both sides of the political aisle. No matter what your belief is, no matter if you think it’s right or wrong, programs and jobs are being impacted. People’s lives are being impacted. We’ve seen the impact of those things already, and I’ll be writing future articles about those.

Ultimately though, it’s summer. It’s a summer of goodbyes and a summer of new hellos. It’s a summer with the promise of traditions, running the bases and celebrating wins at Eatn’ Ice Cream Shoppe. Fishing on our lakes and listening to music at Thursdays on Fountain. Honor our veterans and admire our local 4H’ers at the county fair.

As adults, we can lean into the promise of summer. While we teach our feral children how to be good humans, how to compete against their friends with just the right amount and good type of trash talk, how to make new friends — we can also lead by example. Take your moments of recognition — recognize the good in your opposing team, put your words into action and get out there. Soak up that sunshine and then turn it outwards.

As always, if you need some ideas on how to make the most of your summer, give me a call or visit our website. I’ll tell you what fun Community Ed class to take for yourself, the Parks & Rec event for a fun experience for your little kids or your teenager, or help you set up the perfect volunteer fit for yourself. I might even have a no-bake cookie in the freezer for you. Reach us at 507-373-8670.

Erin Haag is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.