The Key To Change, May Well Be Right In Front Of You

For instance, recently, I went back to the gym. The commitment of making the time, getting there, kicking my butt and getting home, are all changes. Are they important? Of course! Easy? Not always. Convenient? Sometimes. But I know it is important, so I do it.

Often the change we seek, is right in front of us. Next door. Down the street. A short walk.

What’s happening where you live? {{more}}

That is a question I began to ask myself many years ago. Because I liked to travel, it was easy for me get in a car or jump on a motorcycle to go somewhere. A couple of hours in any direction, sometimes more. I plan trips long in the future. I also take spontaneous trips. There was something about the event. Something about the trip.

But somewhere along the line, I began to understand that a lot of what I was looking for was where I lived. No, I don’t mean that there is a lake or a mountain in downtown where I live. But what is there I ought to consider exploring? For example, have I explored all the little museums, the historical societies or read the little signs that are on buildings that tell you what happened there or what used to be in that place?

Many years ago, as the owner of prestigious tourist site and web magazine (1996), I wrote a story called “Happiness, Vermont”. The story was fictional, but the purpose was to point out the hidden gems of the state I was living in at the time.

Communities where we live with the “hidden gems”. Just the other day, I found myself in front of a building and there was a little brass plate with a piece of history I had never heard of. It caused me to start thinking about the why, the history and the people.

Last weekend, I took one of my grandchildren and two of his friends and headed out for what was called the Arts & Culture Corridor Pop-Up Event. Our community is planning a new Arts & Culture Corridor and they asked folks to come and see what it was all about. They also asked them to share their ideas, and to enjoy their pop-up plaza. There were games, food, story areas and lots of things for children to engage in.

While I was there, there was the homecoming parade.

Our community is “busy” compared to others. But sometimes all it takes is a spark of creativity, people coming together and the willingness to occasionally roll up sleeves and get things done.

Do I think “busy” is the defining factor. No. I don’t. Just uncovering that little plaque was the beginning of a journey. Sometimes it is my walk along the river behind my home. Or sitting in a chair and being amazed at the colors of the trees.

I think there is more “under my nose” than I recognize. How about you? What do those little markers that are hidden away say? (We had one up on a mountain for one of the first nail factories.) What are some of the gems of your communities? (We used to have an amazing waterfall that I would sit beside where I lived.) The events that people turn out for? (We used to have an apple festival in one town I lived in.)

And change? That begins with us.