While there is confidence that businesses and individuals are adaptable and up to all sorts of challenges, it seems that is always a certain comfort level when we have at least some amount of consistency or order in our lives.

We’ve survived the warmest July in recorded history. There is still a sense of uncertainty about economic conditions. Many are already tired of the political atmosphere and we still have months to go. Everyone makes adjustments to deal with all of these and other items that many times are out of our control. We can look for some comfort in whatever our individual “normal” is in a community.

For example, schools are about to open and, as hectic as schedules get, there are schedules. This time of year we all either have someone attending school, working in a school-related capacity, or we get to share the road with those big yellow student carriers, not to mention how we’ll pay more attention to weather reports and plan around school holidays and closings.

It seems that this time of year everyone’s focus becomes a bit more local, and that’s a good thing.

As an organization working with local businesses and organizations, the St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce is no different. In September we will invite the community to join us in a celebration of our hospitality industry at A Taste of St. Mary’s on the Leonardtown Town Square. This family-friendly event has grown to be a major event in support of local business.

Also in September we will again host the State of the County luncheon, which allows and encourages a dialog between our chamber member businesses and our county commissioners. This interaction benefits our entire community.

In October we will assist our local businesses by providing a health care forum so that they have the information they will need as the federal Affordable Health Care Act goes into effect.

There are many challenges facing our community. As an organization, our chamber monitors issues at every level of government. Our focus is always the impact on our community. Involvement in local issues and local interaction are the best ways that each business and individual can have an impact that helps provide the consistency and order that we need, while we make the adjustments needed to deal with all those other issues that are out of our control.

The writer is president and CEO of the St. Mary’s County Chamber of Commerce.