Get Curious, Get Involved

May 6, 2026

by Donna Hemann

The month of May is an especially beautiful time in University Heights. Flowers are in bloom, grass has become green again, and the warmer temperatures have neighbors outside planting, weeding, fixing, and enjoying walks or runs. Some people with pools already have them open and are braving the chilly water temperatures for the sheer joy of not being cooped up indoors.

University Heights is one of those neighborhoods that invites residents to get curious and get involved. As you can see in the May newsletter you have in your email inbox, there is much to get involved in, from becoming more eco-responsible by participating in the Yard Ethic program, attending Neighborhood Planning Meetings to help guide changes in UH, or having some fun socializing at our annual picnic, Fourth of July Celebration or morning coffee gatherings and evening happy hours.

Curiosity, like the warmer weather, awakens in May. We shift inside our bodies from hibernation to restlessness and start yearning for change, that pre-programmed code embedded in our DNA; I get the travel bug and want to be around all things green, preferably barefoot. Less contemplative, moving around outside and interacting with the natural world dominate my thoughts. Do these thoughts lure you too? Are you wild at heart just waiting for the weather to accommodate your wanderlust and explorer's spirit? Or maybe spring inspires you to start a project—organize a closet, fix up your fishing boat, repair your shed, get new windows, make an herb garden. Whatever inspires you, now is the time to act on that inspiration. Starting something is half the battle. Let your curiosity spark your first move, then build on that little by little. "The fastest way to get there is slowly" is a quote I just heard and I love it.

At the moment I'm in New York. This place inspires me to create, and it connects me with many things I love: great architecture, the performing arts, and the literary community. I can feel the history here and it's comforting. The Cherry Lane Theater, New York's oldest off-Broadway theater, founded by Evelyn St. Vincent Millay and other artists in 1924, is a few minutes from me. Cafe Wha is where Bob Dylan got his start in 1961; it's less than a half mile up the road. Katz's Deli is about a mile away, and serves the best pastrami, just as it has for 130 years. There's a sense of security in things that last. So while spring moves us into creativity and change, things that remain the same are grounding. Sort of reminds me of University Heights--a place that embraces change but preserves much great history.

Allow this time of renewal to pull you away from routine and launch you into something exciting. A new project, a new adventure, a new version of yourself... Throw caution to the spring winds and leap! You won't be sorry.