You may have noticed, I missed my monthly newsletter in May and I’m barely squeaking one out before the end of June. When last I wrote, there was so much to buzz about regarding the promise of a podcast and summer eCookbooks. Clearly none of that was launched. However, I do have a unique explanation: I was applying to own a lighthouse. The one pictured above, in fact.
Watch Hill Lighthouse is a 166 year-old lighthouse located in Westerly, RI and is being offered for free by the Coast Guard to a good home. Preference is given to non-profits and other charitable organizations. If no one is selected this Fall, the property is then offered to the general public at auction.
Since I have not yet filed articles of incorporation for STOCKED, I applied (and was accepted) for non-profit status and am now in the process of applying for 501(c)(3) status with the IRS. Not surprisingly, the process to own a lighthouse is arduous. (Trust me when I say the hours of research that goes into understanding the role of the GSA, Coast Guard, and National Park Service—not to mention the conservation and preservation entities at play, is not for sissies.) I have also begun to assemble a board of powerhouse women and that is a very front-loaded proposition that requires full job descriptions and financial projections etc., etc.
So here I am…shortlisted to own a structure of grand historic and symbolic significance. I hate to sound trite but when I found out this property was available, a light did go off in my mind:
Automation and marine technology has all but ensured the obsolescence of lighthouses. The way to ensure their relevance is to shine the light back onto the community. STOCKED will be that beacon for the vulnerable women of Rhode Island and I will use the Watch Hill Lighthouse to spread food and financial solvency to all who need it.
(Gulp.)
In Virginia Woolf’s seminal classic, To The Lighthouse, she poses a beautiful question (11 years before e.e. cummings btw): What is the meaning of life? She goes on to answer it in a way that sides with every day experiences and not mind-blowing revelation. My personal answer to this question—and the answer I proffer to my children—is to take my talent and match it with a need of the world. So specifically, to harness cooking, marketing, and writing in order to help women gain financial solvency through their grocery budget. It’s looking like this lighthouse is just the beacon I need to do my life's work.
Stay tuned. I’ll be keeping you posted on what comes of this wild and wonderful endeavor.
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What I’ve been up to:
Cooking: Salad Bundles; Fennel Gazpacho; Strawberry-top vinegar
Reading: The Dance of Anger; Jungalow; and, of course, the National Parks Service website.
Watching: Ginny & Georgia; Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story; Workin’ Moms
Thinking about: How many things in life involve paradox and how to stay curious when I want to be fearful.
Planning: Trips to L.A., NYC, and Dennis, Cape Cod