Integritas

“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one”-Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of the Roman Empire from 161 to 180

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks here in my new adopted town of Gonzales. I still get turned around trying to find my way to the office and anywhere else, which I bet would be pretty funny for someone that grew up here to think about. I spent most of my life living in the heart of Washington, DC, right on Capitol Hill, the seat of power in the Nation’s Capital. People come from all over the world to visit DC and get lost all the time. The quote by Emperor Aurelius popped into my head this week though I’ve always had an affinity for Roman Emperors, Claudius being my favorite, he triumphed over difficulty and cruelty. I remember what a thrill it was to take my then six-year-old to Capitoline Hill in Rome, Italy while we were living on Capitol Hill in DC. She was too young to understand the powerful figures that ran Rome for years, much less the powerful neighbors we had that ran the United States Government. She liked the story of the twin boys raised by the wolf though we shared with her while atop the tallest hill in Ancient Rome.

Feeling overwhelmed by the history there in Rome is something I feel at times right here in Gonzales. Almost daily I ask someone, “I don’t know who that is or where that is, can you tell me? I’m new here” When you haven’t lived anywhere else, it’s hard to imagine that people coming to your town don’t know anything about your town. I knew the rich Texas Independence history but not much else and it’s been a heck of a learning curve.

I certainly didn’t expect to come into town and feel a part of the community right away. I reached out to different civic clubs and was greeted immediately. I think I have made a couple genuine connections warming to possible friendships. The jury on me is clearly still out with others. I try to remind myself that if I have integrity and do right by the newspaper and my staff, I will do right in the community, eventually. No one should trust everyone that crosses the threshold into Gonzales County, but everyone should give someone a chance. I’ve moved often in my life, a case of wanderlust I can’t heal and I’ve had to prove myself as a good businesswoman, a good neighbor, a good community partner and a good friend over and over. I’m up for the challenge.

I like moving into new towns and meeting new people, finding the best guacamole, or hearing about great local artists. What I’ve come to not like is that people often expect newbies to a community to understand the hierarchy, who is higher on a social scale or more important than the next guy. People telling me who I should or shouldn’t like, telling me I have to do business with them or their way because…that’s how we’ve always done it.

Let me figure it out for myself, unless I can’t, then help me find my way back to the office. Don’t get mad if I ask why something is done a certain way, I genuinely don’t know. Don’t blame a certain person or race or generation or industry for your own failings. Take personal responsibility. Know that while I am amongst you, I represent a very old, rich in heritage, small business that is now being taken care of by seven people. We all won’t be here forever, many have come before us, but we will strive to give you a quality product full of good and useful information during our tenure, and if you don’t feel we are, you tell me. If we do something wrong, tell me. I’m particularly proud of the ad campaign we have been running for the upcoming “Come & Take It” Celebration, old photos from past parades, glamorous homecoming queens, and little kids that are now men and women. We’ve had a wonderful response from the community that lived through those years, sharing identities of participants and stories about the past.

Last week was a little tough, having to say no when people are used to hearing “yes”, hearing people in this community speak ill of others and other things that impede positivity. No one is perfect and I’m the first in line to admit that, but I’m going to try really hard to earn your respect and I hope the same of you.

Integrity, it’s hard to achieve but easy to hang onto. It feels good to do the right thing and I hope that eventually, people will say “that’s how we’ve always done it, with integrity”