Publisher's Letter: Life As We Knew It

Creating a Life Well Loved

ummertime on the Central Coast is one of my favorite times of the year, and this year, we had only a few days that were hotter than one could stand. Over the last month, we enjoyed some of the fantastic events in July. Circus Vargas was back in town, which has become a family tradition to attend every year. If you have not attended one of their shows, I encourage you to do so when they return; it is sure to be an excellent time for the entire family and just gets better every time we go.

Another community and family favorite is the California MidState Fair; what I love the most about the Fair is watching it all come together. The amount of people, time, and effort that goes into producing the Fair for the County each year is quite impressive. A terrific job to everyone involved, dedicating their time and effort to bring us “The Biggest Little Fair Anywhere.” A true staple of what our community is all about.

If we have learned anything over the last few years, it is that home matters and nurturing the community that surrounds our homes. Over the years, we have volunteered our time and effort to multiple nonprofit and school event committees and sat on Boards for the Chamber and other nonprofits because we believe that is where the real change happens. Many will say the heart of the community lies in the hands of the selfless volunteers that spend their time unpaid putting on the much-loved events our communities thrive and depend on.

These committees do not happen by chance, and for most of them, they are a group of individuals who love where they live, believe in our history and tradition, and value what we have here. For that, I will be forever grateful to everyone who showed up before me and taught me to do the same — give of my time, invest in our community, and teach my children to do the same. In turn, we will create a life well-loved and one we can pass on for generations.

“The purpose of life is not to be happy, but to matter – to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all.” – Leo Rosten

We hope you enjoy the month’s issue of Atascadero News Magazine; it is an honor to publish it for you every month.

Hayley & Nic Mattson

if thou wouldest win immortality of name, either do things worth the writing, or write things worth the reading. — Thomas Fuller, 1727