I use Facebook frequently for work. I know, I know, that sounds like an excuse to be on social media - but I really do! School and community pages can be a reporter's best friend! I get on to find out what’s happening that I may need to cover, or what people are talking about that may lead to a story idea. And I use it to double-check name spellings…a LOT.

That said, I cannot count the number of times I have got on social media specifically for one of the purposes mentioned above, just to “wake up” 10 or 15 minutes later and find myself mindlessly scrolling the page. Do you ever get sucked in like that?

That is how life’s distractions work much of the time. We can set out on a path of doing something good, something necessary, only to find ourselves getting completely sidetracked by something else that may be totally irrelevant or not even useful. This can happen in all areas of our lives if we are not careful.

There have been so many times when I have looked around a room, or a restaurant and noticed how many people are looking at their phones instead of talking to each other. I’ve seen children desperately trying to get their parents’ attention away from the screen, or vice versa. And trust me, I have been guilty of that myself.

When it comes to politics, religion, or any number of social issues, we can so easily get entangled in the weeds of details that are of little or no importance to the subject at hand. Unfortunately, our national media has gotten too good at taking us down rabbit holes of useless information or feeding us tidbits to satisfy their own political agendas.

That is one of the many reasons I am so passionate about local journalism. I really think people need to just get back to the basics. Start reading about the good things our students are doing, the work the Village Board is putting in to make sure our tax dollars are serving us well, the volunteers who pull together to put on a benefit for someone in need.

Each week, I go back through the newspaper archives and pick a couple of items to feature in our Blast From the Past column. I often wonder, when the next reporter does this 50 years from now, what will they find in our archives?

I love sharing your stories, what is happening in the community, and the accomplishments of your kids. Today I encourage you not to get distracted by the trivial things all around us or the voices competing for our attention, but rather to focus on the many good things that are happening right here. I am grateful for the opportunity to share them every week.