Publisher’s Porch: The Things We Take for Granted

Welcome back to the porch.

A couple of weeks ago, thousands of people came to Yale for the Bologna Festival. They watched the parade, ate more bologna than anyone probably should, listened to music, visited local businesses and spent time with friends and neighbors.

What most of us didn’t see were the countless hours it took to make all of that happen.

Someone had to organize the events, line up the parade, coordinate vendors, close streets, clean things up and handle the hundred little details most of us never think about.

That’s true of a lot of things in small towns.

We show up at a Little League game, but don’t always think about the volunteers who prepared the field. We visit the library without thinking about the people planning programs and keeping the shelves full. We enjoy a community event without seeing the meetings that happened for months beforehand.

When the fire department shows up, the roads are plowed, the park is clean or the lights are on downtown, it’s easy to simply expect those things to happen.

And maybe that’s a sign that the people doing the work are doing it well.

But every once in a while, it’s worth noticing.

Small communities run on people who are willing to show up. Some are paid to do it, but many aren’t. They’re coaches, firefighters, business owners, teachers, church members, service club members, elected officials, parents and neighbors. They’re the person who arrives early to set up chairs and the one who stays late to put them away.

Most of them aren’t doing it for recognition. They’re doing it because they care about where they live.

That’s one of the things I’ve always loved about small towns. There always seems to be someone willing to step up when something needs to be done.

So, as summer winds down and another busy season approaches, maybe take a minute to notice some of those people.

Better yet, thank them.

Because so many of the things we take for granted only happen because someone else cared enough to make sure they did.

I’ll see you back on the porch next week.