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Lily Belli’s story about former Santa Cruz mayor Don Lane’s ice cream odyssey left me smiling. At 70, Don is traveling the state in search of the best scoop while raising money and awareness for immigrant workers in California’s dairy industry. Throughout the story, he shares memories that reconnect him with his childhood.  

Ice cream doesn’t agree with my stomach, but I love that he’s using something so simple to do something that matters.

But what stayed with me wasn’t the ice cream. It was the reminder that growing older doesn’t have to mean growing away from joy. The story encouraged me to keep listening to — and caring for — the curious, playful child still inside us. If more of us did that, the world might be a gentler, more peaceful place.

The story ends by encouraging readers to spend more time with the next generation. To me, that was a quiet reminder that paying attention to a child — or to the child still within ourselves — is its own kind of public service.

Kevin Norton

Santa Cruz