So often in putting together The Beachcomber, we’re struck by the ways islanders change the world.

Take this week’s paper, which features the work of island writer and poet Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma, honored recently in India; Vashon High School graduate Ezra Lacina, now coaching for the Los Angeles Dodgers; and playwright Abe Koogler, whose Vashon-inspired play is now being staged at one of New York City’s most prestigious venues.

Life on a small island can be polarizing. Some people can’t wait to arrive and set down roots. Others can’t wait to grow up and strike out into the world. Vashon folks of both stripes have done extraordinary things.

We chalk that success up to this community’s investment in our students, our progressive and environmentalist values that envision the world beyond our rock, and the resources and privilege that come with a well-educated and relatively wealthy population just a pond away from a major city.

Still, we have serious challenges to address at home.

Vashon is not an affordable place to live — a topic addressed the evening of March 18 at an island housing forum, which will be covered in next week’s paper.

Vashon can be a lonely, hard place to live — contributing to substance abuse, healthcare gaps and challenges in getting public services. Thankfully, island organizations are making tangible progress on this front.

Vashon is an isolated place to live — and in recent years has suffered from reduced ferry service. But the state ferry system has promised the return of three-boat service on the island’s north end this summer.

The progress is tangible, but there’s more work to be done. The good news is that we have the local skill and the motivation to improve life on Vashon, just like we do around the world.