Stacy and I went of a walk last night at about 8:30 PM. The sun was just beginning to set on a beautiful day and we wanted to enjoy the cool of the evening. We saw one of our neighbors out brushing his horses so we made our way to his fence to watch and chat for a while. About three hours later we began our walk home.
It was not our intent to stay so long, but the company and the conversation were both excellent. It is hard to describe the freedom we feel here. The size of the community, the friendliness of the people, and the favorable climate, all make it very enjoyable for us. We asked our new friends what it is like to live in this community. It is a question we ask of nearly everyone we meet. Our quest, is to peel back the layers so that we can see deeper than what we see as temporary residents. We know that the newness we are experiencing will eventually wear off. At least that is what we think. We want to find out what the people really think. We are yet to hear somebody say that they don't like living here. It is obvious that there are problems here, just like anywhere else, but there is a sense of community here that faces the problems head on.
Self-Reliance
I believe one of the keys to this community is self-reliance. Nearly everybody here has a garden. Most have either horses, cows, chickens, or sheep. The people live in town and have their ranches and farms outside of town. We have enjoyed cherries, beans, eggs, swiss chard, tomatoes and many other garden delights. Most usually grow more than they need and they share it openly with those in the community.
The mountains form the boundaries of this community. Over the fourth of July weekend, many people left to spend time away by the local streams and parks. There are wonderful places to enjoy that are only four miles away, so it is easy to come and go as you like. The local spots feel like they belong to the people, and they take care of them like they are their own. They often form voluntary service patrols to clean the recreational sites.
Government Aid
There is a site not too far away that was created by many of the ancestors of the local people. It is a camping area called Dad and Sons. Stacy's maternal grandfather helped to build it. These men of the past used their own resources of both time and money to develop a wonderful area for people to come and enjoy. It is near a mountain spring and they built improved campsites and made the area very enjoyable for the people.
Then, along came the government. It decided to take over the campsite and began to regulate its use. For the first time, federal and state dollars were budgeted for its upkeep. The people who built this beautiful area were no longer able to use it freely. They were required to pay a fee to use a park that they built with their own hands. They were told that the fees would be used to maintain the park and keep it safe. The promises made by these bulging bureaucracies were never kept and this spot, that was once regularly maintained and revered by the local people is a decimated shadow of its beautiful past. No one goes to enjoy it anymore because it is in such bad shape, yet the organization, that took responsibility for its upkeep, continues to tax the people for its unkept promises.
So This Is Freedom
I continue thinking about my previous post, and wonder, why are we letting so many of our freedoms to be taken from us? If self-reliance is the key, then why are we, as a society, so willing to let a government that can not keep its promises, become our daily provider? Why can't we see that they are out of control? Even Colin Powell, who endorsed our President, is now becoming critical of what is going on. This is what he said in a recent interview with CNN:
"I never would have believed that we would have budgets that are running into the multi-trillions of dollars, and we are amassing a huge, huge national debt that, if we don't pay in our lifetime, our kids and grandkids and great grandchildren will have to pay for it."
I share his concern over this unprecedented expansion of the federal government. I hope you do too. A focus on entitlements is not the answer. It will only make us weak and take away our freedom. The federal or state governments can never do the job that they say they can do and we should never want them too.
Think about this for a minute. How is that during a time when nearly every other organization is shrinking and looking for ways to save money, our governments are expanding and spending more than ever? This makes no sense to me. We can not let it happen. We must begin to think about ways to make our government smaller and not bigger or the same thing that happened to our ancestor's camp site will happen to this wonderful country. They can not keep their promises. We can not let it happen.
What Can I Do?
I realize that it is not possible for each of us to live in a small town. As I share the experience of living in this small town with you, I am also inviting you to consider the thoughts that are constantly in my head. Very soon, it will be time for my family to return to home. We will be sad to leave, but we will be happy to be home. While I am here, I am doing my best to learn from this experience. I want to discover the very best of this community and take it home and implement into my own. The lessons of self-reliance are most important to me. I am learning that I can do many things for myself, things that I would normally allow someone else to do for me. I am also learning that I really do need a lot less than I have. Those are wonderful lessons to me and I will value them for the rest of my life.
What does self-reliance mean to you? Examine your life today. Are you waiting for the government, or the organization that you work for to do for you what you can do for yourself? Is there a project that you need done that scares you? Who do you know that can coach you through it? Don't be afraid of it - it is exciting to learn. Please remember that you are responsible for your future and for your own personal development. What skills and behaviors do you need to develop?
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