Anna Traverse Fogle

Drought conditions upstream caused historically low levels in the Mississippi River at Memphis this fall.

Griping about our community is easy, but gratitude pays greater dividends.

Loath as we humans are to admit it, we are all heartbreakingly, beautifully vulnerable to each other. What happens next is up to you, up to me, up to all of us.

If I were explaining to Facebook (c. 2007) the status of my enduring love for Memphis, I would say that the two of us are in a relationship — and it’s complicated.

So much has changed over the past few years. But in those changes, maybe we see more clearly what Memphis is, has been, and can be.

It’s so delightful to be transported into, or reminded about, a version of the world that also exists, all the time, where love and familiarity are just around the corner.

There are as many ways of being a strong and dynamic woman as, well, there are women. No matter what she chooses to call herself.

Our goal, individually and collectively, needs to be risk reduction, not risk elimination.

After the many instabilities of the past two years, I find myself learning more and more from the animals who follow me faithfully around each day.

May the stories of dynamic women guide us as we create a better, kinder world ahead.