When change is a constant part of our lives

Nostalgia is part of the tapestry of our lives. The memories we conjure add richness and perspective to our days and, sometimes, pain. We tend to feel that kind of angst more as we get older and find that some of the things that comforted us on our journey are disappearing before we are ready for them to end.

Columnist Randi Marshall experienced that with the announcement that a favored kosher delicatessen is about to close, and she recalled her grandmother’s matzah ball soup – made from memory, without a recipe. No matter the fate of her deli, she writes, she’ll have that soup when she needs a comforting hug.

Much as we try to hold on to the past, we regularly rediscover the truth that change is constant. And it happens in every facet of our lives, large and small.

Take COVID-19, for example, which continues to evolve before our eyes. It becomes more or less serious, more or less transmissible, and we adjust our behavior, or not. With a host of new variants and other viruses now in circulation, today’s editorial encourages everyone to adopt a traditional response strategy – vaccination.

Another seasonal tradition is upon us - elections - which always bring change and mixed amounts of nostalgia. One intriguing race flying under the radar is the vote for Great Neck library district trustees. Intriguing because it offers a window into the culture wars infecting much of our politics. Under the radar because, well, it’s Great Neck library trustees. This race, with its record turnout, arguments over absentee ballots, and delays in completing the count, might cultivate its own nostalgia for simpler political times.

- Michael Dobie