Speaking Personally - Let’s talk about the worst so we can make it better

Today, Valentine’s Day falls on Ash Wednesday. If you, like me, are someone who observes Lent and also wants to celebrate your love…today is kind of a bummer. In my house, Lent trumps a fourth-class feast day. Instead of festive flowers and thoughtful gifts, today is about fasting, wearing ashes, and starting a season of penance. There’s always next year. 

 

The disappointment does remind me of marriage vows– for better or for worse. True devotion means I’m at my husband’s side for the years when there are no flowers or chocolates, or when someone is sick, or when emergencies cut our celebration short. We’ve had those years. 

 

Dark and somber seasons of life serve as a foil to the years that shine with triumph and happiness. As I’ve gotten older, I have come to appreciate those dark days, if only for the contrast they provide.

When something is a big, unpleasant, and longstanding problem, the solution really pops.

 

The McClellan Building in downtown Willow Springs comes to mind. After years of holding my breath as I drove by it, taking pictures of its decay, and asking hard questions about when it would be fixed, this week I used the word “beautiful” to describe it.

 

Just typing that word again makes me smile.

 

Everyone who uses Main Street is benefiting from the “for better” side of the commitment so many people have made to preserving this building. The longstanding, heart-rending problem is all but gone, and the seeing the solution is sweeter than Valentine’s Day chocolate. 

 

I think it’s important to acknowledge that the road to the solution began with a series of uncomfortable conversations. Dean Aye of the Willow Springs Community Foundation has my respect and admiration for driving many, if not most, of those conversations forward diplomatically, yet effectively. 

 

On this letdown of a Valentine’s Day, I suggest that we all take a deep breath and start to have some uncomfortable conversations about the other problems in our community.

 

But we can’t stop there. If we’re going to take an unflinching look at the ugliness around us, let’s do so with the intention of fixing it. 

 

Like the building, there is not a single problem in our small society that will go away if we ignore it. We must start with the uncomfortable conversations. To that end, keep an eye out for community surveys in upcoming issues of Howell County News. 

 

Together, let’s talk about the worst so we can make it better.