Letter from the Editor

Last weekend I was upstate and stopped in at the local HomeGoods store. (I ought to just change my address to HomeGoods.) Browsing the food aisle (actually, I should just change my address to the food aisle), I was delighted to find two boxes of marzipan candies, a treat I often serve friends when they come over for coffee. They were half the price I usually pay. I put the first box in my cart and as I picked up the other, someone spoke up behind me.

“I’ll take that.”

A woman was standing there, fully expecting me to give her the item in my hand. “Oh, sorry, I’m buying this,” I politely replied. The woman blew air out of her nostrils like an angry Clydesdale. “I am from [European country]. These candies are hard to find,” she said. Huh? So, because she hails from a country that apparently has a marzipan fetish, I was supposed to give her the box? Maybe if she had simply asked, I would have considered it, but she was demanding I do it. Thankfully, I spied two half-size boxes and suggested she take them instead.

Entitled people are everywhere. But sometimes, I’m not much better than Marizpan Lady. I mutter under my breath when I’m in a hurry and the car ahead of me won’t go a single mile over the speed limit. I get pouty when a Rec pickleball clinic is full before I can sign up, even though I should have gone online sooner. At the Parkway Diner, I sigh and wish the other customers would finish, even though I want to enjoy a leisurely meal myself.

Fall is beautiful, but pressured: After a laid-back summer, suddenly you have to go here and there, and do this and that. It’s natural to wish you didn’t have to play by all those pesky rules. But we Scarsdalians, especially, should keep our entitlement in check—we are beyond blessed to live in a town that offers incredible beauty and rich resources like a top-notch library, beautiful sports fields, the best adult school in Westchester, and so much more.

I’ll change if you will (but if you don’t need to, that’s awesome). And remember, if you want my marzipan, try asking. Nicely.

Happy Rosh Hashana to all who celebrate! And for everyone else, have an amazing weekend.

Yours in Scarsdale love,

Deborah Skolnik
Editor In Chief

PS: THE INSIDER IS ON INSTAGRAM NOW! Keep up with our latest posts here.