Do'ers of the Public Good

We live in a curious era with so many folks wanting the spotlight, that 15 minutes of fame and glory, that they nearly run over each other in a fight for the light switch.  Particularly dismaying is when someone wrests control and still others are not satisfied until the one in the limelight is not only replaced but reduced.  That is a pretty sad state of affairs and we as a nation and as a community suffer badly from these nare-do-wells.

On the other hand, there are silent heroes. Well perhaps heroes is a bad choice of words as everyone seems to be labeled as such for actions great and small.  In thinking about it, we prefer "do'ers of the public good". That doesn't mean so much being involved in governmental projects as much as it applies to making the community a little bit better through acts great and small.

We had a talk with Dave Berson the other day.  He runs that electric ship, the Glory, out of docks near Preston.  Not really a talk but a watch and listen as he took a small group of kids and parents out for a tour of the local waters.  We've known him by and by and he has a reputation for having  a certain congenial  rough edge about him that comes from years on the water and being in charge.  Not a hostile edge, but one that comes from nonsense, matter of fact demeanor. He was great with the kids. Absolutely great and they were as easy with him as wind in a sail.

We talked about this later in the day with a friend who we know from the library and more of this "great with kids" thing came out.  Seems David and the Glory are knee deep in helping kids understand that his boat isn't "electric by accident" and that it is "green" by design. It is responsible as our friend put it. You could run it in your swimming pool and still swim in clean water. That "Green" issue extends to a certain joy and deep respect for the local ecology and that is what is actually being passed on to kids all over town. He teaches that but not as if he were from the DEC but like someone who understands it and respects it.

As we are a water village it is refreshing to find someone who contributes a lot of time and effort in passing on this knowledge and care, this concern and the joy of discovery.  That he does it for kids puts him in the select company of other do'ers of the public good; scout leaders, church youth directors, coaches - simply all manner of folks who take what they do best and apply it for the benefit of others.  It and they are the glue that holds things together and they don't receive the notice they should but then again the are not those grabbing for the spotlight.

We had a friend who ran a youth music program once upon a time and his orchestras played their heads off and loved it.  After concerts when parents would come up to him and say all those glories words of praise he was brusque - almost angry - in pointing out it "was the kids"..it was always the kids and for the kids.  Dave seemed like that when we saw him.  We wrote a while back about an Eagle Scout and his leader; they/he was like that too.  So was the nice person at the library who took a minute to explain how good his programs were and how much good they did. 

Do'ers of the Public Good.

Do'ers and Watchers

During our summer doldrums, we tend to get a bit complacent.  Not that we don't deserve a few minutes off from life as we know it, but because its either too darn hot or the air has zapped out all our energy.  Garages need cleaning out for fall, that overgrown garden needs attention, all those things that make us head for the hammock.

There are two calendars it would seem. One that is the big master calendar over which we have no control whatsoever. It is the sun and moon, the rotation of the earth, daylight and midnight...all those biggies. There is also the one we keep in the frig door.  The one that his chock full of appointments, meetings, and shopping lists. We own that one. We only occupy the former.

We tend to get ruled by the big calendar and neglect our own.  Things get pushed off or we "let" someone else do it.  We nestle into our hammock, book in hand, and someone else does the real work that surrounds our little calendar.  Our village is a case in point.

We think that the Village is there to be our servant; someone totally misunderstanding the phrase "public servants".  They are folks who dedicate time, often albeit compensated at a pittance, to the Village.  In return for this dedication to Village affairs, they make decisions on our behalf. We either go along with them or vote them out. All too often, we rest in our hammocks and simply bite them in the neck for not doing our bidding.  Unfortunately we do this biting from our comfortable place.

Think about how you do something around the house, mow the lawn or trim the hedge, cook dinner or clean a window.  Instead of helping, or saying good job, encouraging the partner, you simple crow at them for not doing it "your way".  Everyone has heard "..well, if you did it my way, you'd...." and just want to throttle other person.  And rightfully so.

There are ways to be constructive and then there are ways to be a pain in the neck from the hammock.