Greetings!
The Thanksgiving Holiday is over. The outstanding mild weather has made it easy for all to put up their outside Christmas decorations. It is also the start of the shopping season. The news was full of reports of people's outrageous behavior while shopping on Black Friday. I shake my head in disbelief as I don't understand it. The media sells ads to the big box stores and then reports, as news, the sales and customer reactions at the same stores. Hmm?
Is this the sense of community spirit and holiday cheer you envision? Most of you know that I consider Huntington to be a jewel of Long Island. Our strong main street is a big part of that. I hope Reinwald's Bakery plays a part in that too. I respectfully ask all of you to take a look in your town and see what it has to offer in variety and service. Many of the small stores can stock unique and limited run items that are not worthwhile for big stores to carry. Even the bakery has many interesting gift ideas. Surveys show that gifts of food, and particularly baked goods, are the most appreciated by their recipients. A stroll through town may turn stressful holiday shopping into an enjoyable experience.
I am reading an interesting book by Malcolm Gladwell called Outliers. The introduction tells a story that reinforces the importance of community. Just before the turn of the century many people from the small town of Roseto, Italy made their way to this area of western Pennsylvania to work in stone quarries as they had learned in their native country. Neighboring towns were populated by English, Welsh, and Germans so Roseto, PA, as the new town was called, became a somewhat isolated but thriving community.
During the 60's Stewart Wolf, a physician visiting the area, was amazed when a local doctor told him of their low rates of heart disease and as a matter of fact all deadly diseases. The long and short of it is these amazingly low rates of early death were not attributable to diet, exercise, genetics, or environment. "The people of Roseto were healthier because of where they were from. They had created a powerful, protective social structure capable of insulating them from the pressures of the modern world." Dr. Wolf went on to convince the medical establishment that it was the strong community of Roseto that led to the health of the individuals. Wouldn't it be great to say the same about Huntington?
Please have a warm and joyous December.
Sincerely, Rich Reinwald Reinwald's Bakery
|