Wait -- What's Going on Here?
August Renaissance Apologetic Update
I have to apologize to long-time subscribers. You’ve been reading my restless, rural reflections on life as a GenX woman seeking peace for up to three years now. But in the last several weeks, I have exposed you to some general nastiness spurred by anger, hurt, and frustration.
I am so sorry. You did not sign up for that.
No, it wasn’t in the Renaissance plan, wasn’t in my life plan, wasn’t in any plan whatsoever. But it had to be done. Locally, there are many frustrated, angry folk with questions and rebuttals. Some seem to want me to “stir the pot” for them, while others are willing to speak (write) for themselves. I may have stomped around in the puddle of a local issue, but I have no intention of wallowing in it.
The Local Renaissance section is set up as a separate “newsletter.” This means when you subscribe to Two-Lane Renaissance, you are not automatically subscribed to the “Local Renaissance” section. You have to subscribe to Local separately. It also means, that if you were pulled into Local in the fray of the last few weeks and don’t want to be, you can also manage your subscription to opt out.
When you subscribe to Two-Lane Renaissance, you are not automatically subscribed to the “Local Renaissance” section. You have to subscribe to Local separately.
What (I hope) will develop in the new Local Renaissance section of Two-Lane Renaissance is a place and platform for local citizens to ask questions and speak their piece. I believe all citizens can be citizen journalists, and I also believe in our current cultural conditions, independent journalism needs to step up and fill the gaps in coverage and input, especially in rural regions.
I do welcome all our new subscribers. The current frustrations, anger, and issues will hopefully lead us to a higher purpose. Who am I to say? If you are working to develop a tribe of citizen journalists, it depends upon the citizens. Already, 3-4 citizens have stepped up to contribute, and we hit 4,000 views on July 17, a record for any post I have ever posted.
So, local citizen journalism is (for now) a new and separate section of Two-Lane Renaissance. If you aren’t interested, you can opt out. If you are interested, you’ll need to take the extra step to sign up for it separately.
(If you’re thinking, “What? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you might want to pop over to the Local section directly to get caught up — or not.)
Seventeen years ago, I launched Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine to flee from life as a local news reporter. The magazine became the positive I embraced after four years in the negativity of local politics and power plays. (Again, my return to the genre is a surprise to me as much as anyone else.)
Just as I turned to Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine then to counteract stress, fear, and anxiety (I had also picked up some psycho-stalkers along the way), I return to it now to counter-balance the stress and anxiety brought in by launching the Local section. Several of the columnists from the magazine have granted permission to republish their installments from the print edition here in our online Renaissance.
It is fitting that we revisit concepts of nature, self-reliance, upcycling, reflection, and simplicity. I find lately that I am often running on faith, and I am prone to happy tears. Happy tears seeing Snoop carry the Olympic torch, happy tears at Kamala Harris’ laugh and smile, happy tears from witnessing a small, blind dog bounding through the hayfield chasing a flock of gobblers he cannot see.
Now more than ever, I am deeply touched by expressions of bliss. It has nothing to do with politics or power, it has to do with the absence of them. Despite all that American culture is currently enduring - laughter, honor, and innocence still exist. Despite all our worries, concerns, hurts, and fears, it is still possible to be spontaneously surprised by a moment of pure joy.
None of us need to be swamped in negativity. We cannot ignore the negatives, but have to counter-balance them with positives. In a consumer economy, in a divided country, in an election year, our entire system is powered by our fears. We have to have faith that all is as God intends it, and we have to intentionally watch for and seek out moments of simple comforts. Laughter. Delight. Playfulness.
So now, throughout the month, we will be revisiting the archives of Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine, a ten-year collection of columns dedicated to self-reliance, rural living, sustainability, and simplicity — practical information that never expires.
To prevent an invasion of subscriber email inboxes (and Substack app notifications), you will not be notified directly when these archival posts are added. For example, our first archival installment of many scheduled, Galvanized Gardens, posted last week.
Are you confused yet? Here’s the breakdown:
If you are a Two-Lane Renaissance subscriber, you will receive a monthly letter like this one and the occasional additional reflective personal essay as you have before.
If you wish to be notified when the Local Renaissance section has a significant update, you must subscribe to that newsletter separately.
If you wish to enjoy the archival installments pulled from Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine, you can:
a. wait for the monthly letter where I will share the links or
b. visit twolanelivin.com directly on occasion to catch up on what’s newly posted.
Can’t I just follow all this through your social media?
Yeah, well… Not exactly. It’s just better to subscribe.
All the rules of the game say I should capitalize on this “over there,” and that every update here should be broadcast to the World Wide Web.
But already I have had to turn off public comment on such posts, already I have been drawn into the dopamine rush of likes and shares. Already I quiver with the draw and temptation of the Facebook addict. (It’s a nice place to visit, but I don’t want to live here. Been there, done that.)
Two-Lane Renaissance posts are auto-shared to my LinkedIn and Instagram — until I run beyond the free monthly limit on the auto-share program I use. When I am inclined to share a post on Facebook, I do, but only the ones I choose, and only during my morning Facebook check-in.
Geez. I’ve tossed a lot at you in this letter. My apologies to both old subscribers and new. Over the last month, I’ve been wondering what I am now doing here, and I can only assume you, Dear Reader, may feel the same. I may have simply penned this letter to help me figure it out.
I feel I have fumbled, but fear not, I’ve got a grip on it now.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for subscribing (both free and paid). Here’s to balancing the bad with the good.