Flamingo Restaurant, an eatery that serves traditional East African fare, specifically Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Somali, in St. Paul’s Midway, recently underwent new ownership.

The restaurant, which originally opened in 2006, is now under the guidance of East African women’s activist and community leaders, Shegitu Kebede and Frewoini Haile.

“Fre and I are very excited about entering the restaurant business,” said Kebede. “It’s truly our passion...we love serving people. We also need to become self-sufficient so that we can make a difference in our lives as well as the lives of others, especially East African women. Running a successful business can get us to this goal.”

Back to school. This is when shorts turn into jeans, sweatshirts turn into ski jackets and thoughts turn to making the life changes we’ve been putting off all summer. Making significant, real change is never easy, but the payoff can be incredible and well worth the effort.

Start making change now by committing to the change you’ve been kicking around. Create a reminder and put it where you will see it often throughout the day. A word, picture or symbol is enough to keep you mindful. Put it in the bathroom (you can write on the mirror with soap or eyeliner), in your car, or tattoo it to your belly. Anywhere you go pretty regularly is a good place to post your commitment. My latest commitment is to ride my bike every day. I put the bike in the front hall, instead of out in the shed, and although it’s in the way, it’s hard to forget that promise to myself.