What Problem Are We in Love with Solving?

And are we crazy enough to think we can make a dent?

April 15, 2026

Let’s just say it out loud.

I do not know if this will work.

I do not know if Connect Happy Valley will truly change behavior, shift habits, or rebuild something that feels like it is slipping away.

But I do know this.

I am in love with the problem.

The Problem

The problem is not a lack of things to do.

The problem is not a lack of content.

The problem is not even a lack of people.

The problem is this.

We are drifting away from each other.

Quietly. Gradually. Comfortably.

We are living more and more of life through screens, deliveries, and perfectly optimized convenience.

• Amazon brings us what we need
• Uber Eats brings us what we want
• Our phones bring us everything else

And yet

Connection, the real kind, is getting harder.

Because it requires effort.
It requires vulnerability.
It requires walking into a room where you do not fully know what will happen.

That is hard.

Really hard.

We track everything.

Steps.
Calories.
Sleep.
Productivity.

We have dashboards for our bodies and our work.

But what about this

How often did you connect with another human being today
Not text
Not scroll
Not transact

Actually connect

When was the last time you touched grass, looked someone in the eye, and felt something real in a conversation

We are not tracking that

And maybe that is the problem

Because what gets measured gets improved

So here is what we are trying to do

Increase your steps toward connection

Reduce the friction that keeps you from showing up

And create more moments where you connect to the heart of another person

The Experiment

So instead of theorizing, we are doing something different.

We are experimenting.

In real life.

Last Wednesday at Pine Grove Hall, we hosted a session on AI.

A room full of people talking about artificial intelligence.

And what happened had nothing to do with technology.

People leaned in.
People talked.
People connected.

There was a moment in that room where you could feel something shift.

Did it change a life?

Maybe.

And if the answer is even possibly yes, then we keep going.

Why Pine Grove Hall?

People ask why we keep coming back to Pine Grove Hall.

Here is why.

It was built in 1901 by the Odd Fellows.

A group of people who were a little different and deeply committed to fellowship.

They built a place for people to gather.

To connect.
To belong.
To not do life alone.

That building is not just a venue.

It is a symbol of what we are trying to do.

And here is the bigger point.

We will host these experiences at your third place too.

Because this is not about one venue.
It is about activating all of them.

As they said in Top Gun

Engage, Maverick. Engage.

That is the point.

Engaging.

The Question We Are Chasing

This is a real question.

Do people still want to connect in real life?

Or have we reached a point where convenience has quietly replaced community?

Viktor Frankl said it best.

Those who have a why to live can bear almost any how.

So here is the question for all of us.

Have we lost our why?

Or have we just buried it under convenience, distraction, and isolation?

This Sunday

We are doing it again.

This Sunday at 5 PM at Pine Grove Hall.

Hosted by Pine Grove Hall, Melissa Hicks, and Connect Happy Valley.

It is free. Just show up.

Melissa will lead a conversation on

How to Maximize Living in Happy Valley

Not in theory.
Not in content.
But in real life.

The Real Battle

Let’s be honest.

The real challenge is not awareness.

It is not even interest.

It is this.

Will you make the time to show up?

And if you do not

I get it.

You are busy.
You are buried.
You are tired.

And maybe you are a little disconnected and not even sure what you are missing anymore.

Why I Am Doing This

This is not random.

If you want to solve a real problem, you do not sit in a room and theorize.

You go out and test it.

You run experiments.
You talk to people.
You observe behavior.
You learn.

That is exactly what this is.

A social experiment.

A Little Truth from Me

And just maybe, if I am being honest, I do this as much for myself as anyone else.

Maybe this whole thing is my way of putting a stick of TNT under my own chair to force myself to get out, show up, and engage with other human beings.

Because it is easier to stay in.
It is easier to stay comfortable.
It is easier to avoid the risk of real connection.

So now I have made it public.

Now I am obligated.

This Sunday at 5 PM, I will be there at Pine Grove Hall, hosting alongside Melissa Hicks.

And maybe that is the point.

We create just enough structure, just enough commitment, to help each other push through the friction and show up.

The Invitation

So, join us.

Let’s overcome the fear together.

In search of something better.

In search of meaning.

Final Thought

Will we make a dent?

I do not know.

But I saw enough last Wednesday to keep going.

And every time someone walks into a room like Pine Grove Hall,
chooses connection over convenience,
and leaves just a little more alive than they arrived

We are getting closer to our answer.