Greetings Northside Neighbors. I hope this current Northside News finds you well. Modern life and our culture have its pace and pressures, and it is important to find ways to intentionally choose connection. Healthy relationships and social connections are significant for our well-being.
British Journalist Johann Hari was recently quoted in Madison for saying, “the opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it’s connection.” Robert Weiss in Psychology Today goes further, “addiction is not a substance disorder, it’s a social disorder.” Robert Putnam speaks of the value of social capitol in the 2023 documentary, “Join or Die.”
Reflecting on 2024 and some of what it entails for us here at the Northside Planning Council (NPC), I realize part of how we fulfill our mission to improve the quality of life and foster equity on the Northside is by offering and promoting the power of connection via hospitality and celebration.
Hospitality is defined as the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers (add neighbors). Celebrations create opportunities for fun, entertainment and recreation, which can help reduce stress, tensions and anxiety.
In the months ahead, NPC (including our FEED Kitchens work) will continue to gather Northsiders for various events and celebrations (see this Northside News issue for details about those happening soon); Taste the Future, NPC-FEED Storage Sale and Giveaway, North Star Awards and our FEED Holiday Bazaar. We will also collaborate with others like the Madison Black Chamber for Food Taste Jamboree and Willy Street Co-op and the Madison Mallards for the Northside Festival.
We join and support neighborhood and community center parties, Parks Alive and many smaller gatherings to make connections and receive the hospitality of others. Hospitality and celebration can be both offered and received by each one of us. Let’s not stay isolated. Let’s connect.
