By Courtney Pierce
I have moved several times over my 25-year career in the Broadway entertainment industry: Portland, Minneapolis, Houston, and back to Portland. Since I was always schlepping to and from an airport most of the time, I became a workaholic. Something crucial was missing in my life, because I never became involved in the local community, politics, or issues. I knew my neighbors through a mere passing wave as I drove by.
It wasn’t until we moved to Montana that I felt I could put
down roots and truly call my city home, a place where I can say I’m from.
Becoming involved in the local “goings on” is not only rewarding, it’s a
necessity for a healthy community. Go back to the sausage analogy. The same goes for the quality of life in our cities and towns. Lack of citizen involvement results in the social, economic, and geo-political mess we're in right now.
Here are ten examples on how we, average peeps, can make a difference:
- Don’t vote for a politician--any politician—without doing investigative homework. Elected officials work for the people, so we, the people, are in charge. Hold your local elected officials accountable by asking questions and making your opinion known. Then, keep tabs on their behavior to prevent corruption and potential back-door deals for personal gain.
- Get involved in local government, even if it’s to only attend meetings of the City Council or the School Board. This is where decisions are made that directly affect you. Have you heard about recent incidents where whole school boards have resigned when the parents revolted against mandatory mask mandates for students? Go Moms and Dads!
- Check in with your neighbors on a regular basis. Frequent contact breeds comfort and reliability when you really need it. The details of your life aren’t necessary to share, but immediate neighbors should feel comfortable enough to pick up the phone or knock on the door in an emergency, as well should you.
- If you have enough land, or can acquire a parcel collectively with your neighbors, go ahead and invest in creating a community garden for local fresh vegetables. Who knows? There could be so much bounty that it could turn a profit. Plus, it’s a fresher, healthier option than the not-so-green beans and mushy corn from Mexico in the supermarket.
- If you’re like Jeff and me, we have way too many books. Being a hobby woodworker, Jeff’s going to build a weatherproof cabinet with bookshelves to create a free lending library for our street. The rules will be based on an honor system: take a book, leave a book, and include nothing offensive. Of course, my books will be part of the inventory.
- If your home is governed by a Home Owners Association (HOA), volunteer for a position on the board that supports your experience. This body makes the rules for what you can or cannot do on your property, so it’s important. You’ll wish you had participated when the HOA determines that your mailbox isn’t regulation or that you have to move your shed one more foot from the fence. Plus, you can help organize social events or fundraisers with your fellow residents.
- We live about 15 miles from town. It’s not exactly rural, but a gas-drinker trip nonetheless. Check in with your immediate neighbors if you’re making a trek to the supermarket or hardware store to see if there’s anything you can pick up for them. This is especially appreciated by the elderly and those who are disabled.
- Get to know your local Sheriff. His job is to protect your citizen’s rights under the Constitution. You’ll be thankful for this relationship to help your family or your neighbors in an emergency. Better yet, join the Constitution Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association (CSPOA). This will give you a leg up to forging a relationship with your local sheriff, and members can even be deputized in an emergency. If you know your sheriff, then you have an insider resource to say, “Let me make a call.”
- Join NextDoor.com for your area if you haven’t done so already. This is a great way to connect with your neighbors, sell stuff with confidence, give a heads-up for safety issues, and get recommendations for local services. You can welcome new residents and connect with old-timers. In our area, we regularly warn each other about potentially dangerous animals: mountain lions, grizzly bears, black bears, and wolverines.
- If I’ve mentioned anything that’s inconvenient or too much work, then this last one is a biggie that costs no time or money at all-- Smile at people you don’t know. This only requires for you throw away the dang mask and care about others more than yourself.
There’s a tremendous world ahead of us, more than we can imagine if we're invested. The seeds will sprout if we stick together and take care of each other.
I do have an
eleventh tip: shop local. Our small family-run businesses have been decimated over the past year, and they need our help to get back on their feet. I’ll gladly spend more and
take less to help a local business. Personally, I avoid big-box stores as much
as I can. (Yes, I know I need Amazon from an author perspective) They’re convenient, for sure, but these businesses aren’t part of my
community. They’re taking business away from it.
Can you imagine what the whole world would be like if everyone did these ten small things I mentioned above? The planet would change . . . in big ways.
“I’m embarrassed to tell you how much this position pays,” the
owner said.
“I don’t really care how much I make,” I said. “I’m not on
an airplane. I’m ten minutes from home. And I can stay in shape by moving all day. The fact that I'm a knowledgeable gardener is a bonus.”
With a wrinkle of her nose, she practically whispered the hourly rate.
I laughed and said, “Oh, my. I thought this was a volunteer job.”
The owner laughed even harder and handed me a bunch of paperwork. “Can you start on
Tuesday? The customers will love you.”
“Yes. I’ll be here with a Million Bell petunias on.”
The nursery is family-owned, local, and has been in
business for 40 years. It’s an institution that the whole Flathead Valley in Montana depends on. The plants are beautiful, home grown, and the customers line up 15 minutes before
the doors open at 10:00 A.M.-- seven days a week. I couldn’t be happier to go
to work every day in order to help beautify their gardens.
My garden is gorgeous . . . at 50% off with my employee discount.
And I'm changing the big world in my own small way in the process.
When Aubrey Cenderon moves to Montana after the death of her father, the peace and quiet of Big Sky Country becomes complicated with a knock on the door from the sheriff. An injured grizzly bear is on the loose and it must be eliminated before it kills again. The sheriff's insistence that she buy a gun for protection will present Aubrey with some serious soul-searching, because the grizzly-on-the-run is hunting her too . . . for a different reason.
3 comments:
I agree Courtney that volunteering or being involved locally is important for the health of a community. I co-facilitate a Public Safety Action Committee for a swath of my home town. Used to serve on the Neighborhood Association Board but really enjoy this group.
Working in a garden center would be a gift!
Great tips, Courtney! It sounds like you have really put down roots. I worried about people being able to see smiles when everyone has masks on, but even toddlers smile back when my mask is on, so it's not as much of a problem as I'd thought. A heartfelt smile reaches your eyes.
Love these tips! I agree 100% on participating in local politics. People don't realize how every position locally has more direct impact on their daily lives than many things nationally. For example, the person or people in the water conservation district is responsible for policies about who gets water and when year round and what to do in dry years. The local commissioner can often have more to say than the mayor, and certainly has the ability to change minds of other commissioners.
We recently had school board elections and I had a conversation with a senior who lives nearby. She said, she wasn't going to vote because her kids are grown and grandkids don't live around here. I said I was definitely going to vote, even though our grandkids are 3K miles away because educating youth is the future of our communities and our countries. I want a say in how that happens. I had to do a lo tof research as I knew none of the candidates.
I also love your ideas about asking neighbors if you can pick up anything for them. Such a kind and neighborly gesture. And your job sounds like heaven. I would relish walking into a place where you were there to talk about flowers. Your sunny disposition and attention to what people need is an employers dream. You do continue to sound happy in your new home.
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