Thinking A Bit About The Literal...
And The Metaphoric
We’re coming to the end of the summer that many said wasn’t, although as pointed out by our kid writers throughout the recent months, it’s still been a summer, and good enough for those who like the change in pace as much as matching weather and entertainment realities to our dreams of such.
And what a glorious weekend we’ve just had to start closing it all out with, from opera in parks to Kidstock all pulling great crowds for homegrown entertainment, no matter the rain. There really is something about the sense of community we’ve all built in this corridor here!
Now we’re about to step back into the workaday world of another school year, another local election cycle, the annual struggle to match town and county budgets to town and county needs. We’ve got a lot of home repairs to get finished, given the weather’s lack of cooperation. Some major infrastructure projects still on hand. Some major policy battles to be fought.
But we’ve been through a great deal, too, from some sad passings to some continuing rancor left over from past political battles, and to tell you the truth there’s something particularly beautiful about the view from here that’s truly invigorating, despite the heat.
The students we’ve been talking to are all excited about the school year ahead, and despite their parents’ gripings about boards and costs and budgets and what-have-you, seem very happy about being at Onteora. To reflect that feeling, we’ll be starting to run a regular page of student-originated material each issue, from all our schools… including photos, essays, poetry, and drawings. Not assigned, but from the hearts and minds of our young… because we believe it’s important they feel listened to, and we start to listen to what they have to say, no matter if it’s not always what we are expecting to hear.
Many of the newer folks we’ve met spending time up here over the past summer are wanting to move up full time now, the better to join what they see, from the outside, as a viable sense of community. People may be screaming at townhall and our town’s meetings, but they’re smiling out on Main Street.
Which makes us all hopeful about some of the challenges we have yet to face this year, from the initiation or completion of better sewer and water systems to repaved and rerouted roads and bridges, as well as reworked zoning laws and tax valuation formulas and the drawing in of new voices and talents into our municipal governmental systems.
Labor Day… a time of shifts, not only literal (in terms of the holiday’s worker bee roots) but metaphoric (in light of its seasonal role). A time to consider all we’ve worked for, and have yet to work towards… as well as to start reaping some of the benefits of our toilings.
Labor Day… also a time to think about the nature of employment these days. Do we need to keep asking for help from outside, for service jobs and town employment, the glimmer of work that actually covers health insurance, or might we be on the verge of moving into a brighter future where at least some of such worries, on the health front, aren’t as severe and daunting, freeing us all up to be more productive by doing things closer to our hearts, and our own community’s needs?
Can we look back on this Labor Day as a time when we all shifted from one way of thinking about work, in terms of its literal benefits, to one where we started concentrating on more metaphoric, spiritual and even community benefits and we all grew better as a result?
We certainly hope so… and in the meantime, have a happy Labor Day…
And see you all in September!
PS