Letter from the Editor: Different Kinds of Hard
I’m a fall person. Summer is great, don’t get me wrong. But my fireplace, an occasional bourbon and school being back in session win. Every time. Of course, school being back means everyone is busy again. We’re racing to get it all done and, ideally, get it all done well. Even ordinary life can feel like a lot right now. There’s a lot happening in the world. A lot of uncertainty. The good (and not-so-good) news? It’s always been this way. The better news? We live in a one-of-a-kind community that seems to know when to put its head down and do the hard work - and when to blow off some steam and simply enjoy each other. Apparently, that isn’t new either.
In 1914, Bluffers responded to their own hard times by throwing a party, dressing for the occasion in some highly questionable attire. In 2026, we’re still at it. We barricade the block, turn up the music and bring a dish to pass. But gathering is only part of it. The stories in this issue reminded me how often getting to the good stuff requires pushing through something first. No one knows that better than Janet Murphy Ryan, who persisted for six years to restore the way down into one of the most beautiful little corners of our lakefront. What looks like a set of stairs is really the result of years of setbacks, phone calls, fundraising, permits, design decisions and one person who simply refused to let the place go. Dr. Liz Chung Knight spends her days helping breast cancer patients through hard things of an entirely different kind - with the steadiness and care that make it pretty clear she found her calling.
Paul Blahunka and Jan Schnobrich saw a local process that needed some guidance and helped create a way for residents to better understand the people willing to step forward and serve our community. Our young soccer players keep showing up to practice, tired or sore, because six years together means something to them. At Lake Bluff Elementary, a long school week ends with music, high fives and familiar faces waiting at the front door. And over on Scranton Avenue, the people behind Bluff’s Pub are taking on the enormous task of building something new in the place they call home. Different stories. Different kinds of hard. But maybe that’s fall, too. We get back to work. We show up. We take care of what matters. And every now and then, we close down a street, pour something good and remember that we actually really like being together.
Turns out, Lake Bluff has been doing that for a very long time.
In Community, Megan Paszczykowski