Have you told your STR Story? Let the clarity and poignancy of the letter below inspire you. Your words matter, and they impact the community and the Town Board. Letters are due every Tuesday morning by 11:30 am, emailed to: a.clancy@sireporter.com From Today's Shelter Island Reporter: We don't always get to choose who we fall in love with. We don't get to choose where we live until we are adults and ready to enjoy land of our own. The mother of my daughter was fortunate to have amazing experience of growing up in Shelter Island. She 'chose' to seek out again, and let us enjoy with her. But I don't think she woke up one day expecting to be carrying everyone, including me. I came to US seeking that same 'dream' you all discuss, having 'rights' to land, air above, quiet enjoyment, be able to work land to feed us and shelter us. I have learned the 'dream' has shifted to people needing be more clever and work harder to keep up those rights. The family is no more traditional as it was in my Russia. Mothers here may need to shelter their sister, children who are unemployed, a husband who can't work because of tragedy, their neighbor,. They may get a mortgage with their father, their 'friend'; they may need work 2-3 or more jobs, they may need to rent their homes. More is demanded of them both in money and physical labor. I see more American friends "think outside the traditional box." Growing up in a huge metropolis of Moscow, I see Shelter Island as extremely unique, anamoly. It is an 'island off an island". Like my country survives on natural resource of oil and mineral. Your depends 100% on tourism. It is understandable that as a Town, you have urge to want to compare to other nearby cities to see what they are doing, so you can feel more 'standardized' in your law decisions. But it is like Hamptons officials gathering together to say "let us purchase several ferries and set up ferry rides on our oceans since our neighbor Shelter Island does that." With crashing oceans in Montauk? With no land-lock issue for South or North Fork? With hostels and restaurants open past 7pm? With different income bracket of tourists? It would be foolish loss for sake of conforming. No. Shelter Island must acknowledge their situation is unique within a changing social system. The 'dream' is based on survival today. The family still want have a choice in how children grow. We farm in the suburbs of Russia. In Shelter Island, it is rent. It is a symbiotic union, feeding families and economy. Dmitri Kolmogorov Shelter Island