Manure

Our trip this past weekend was redolent of the past; travel through farm states across the nation; but mostly in the Midwest where dairy herds, hogs and sheep graze the land. They deposit rich reminders of their diet along the way. In small feed yards and barns they deposit even more. Gathering the produce and loading it into the manure spreader, the farmer distributes the load on farm fields in preparation of new crops.

The smell is rich to say the least! Pungent is more like it. After a few miles of country lanes the odor remains in the nostrils. Redolent indeed!

When we pulled into our garage after 400 miles I could swear we had brought parts of Illinois and Wisconsin with us. Perhaps it coated the underside of the van? Whatever its cause it took nearly 24 hours to cleanse sense of smell.

But alas in our absence the landscaping crew spread fresh mulch on flower beds and tree rings. In moist spring air the aroma was nigh to the farm fresh redolence we had just visited.

What is it about rotting matter that attracts its use? Surely not its smell!

No; it is the nitrogen rich decaying material that invigorates soil for fresh strong growth of lawns, crops, trees, shrubs and flowers. All the harbingers of spring. It’s just that I don’t associate spring with manure! Perhaps that is a convenient lapse? Manure is what it is; it does what it does best. And we use it year after year.

It makes me think of other matter we discard willingly. Not for reuse but for trash. And what becomes of it?

Our mini trip this past weekend demonstrated what artists do with trash. They weld it, paint it, reuse it or re-purpose it. It is for decoration, too. It also stimulates thoughts and feelings. From trash to art. That’s a good thing.

Of course we are often reminded what not to do with certain trash. The rubbish we toss out each week is separated into two parts: garbage and recycled waste. Plastics, paper and glass are processed for new use. And electronics are culled and sent to special processors where the toxins of their manufacture are safely disposed of or reused in new manufacture of similar products.

Our environment is seemingly on the perpetual edge of poisoning by our own use of its treasures. Indiscriminate use is not the primary problem; it is the indiscriminate disposal that is.

In light of Earth Day of recent celebration we are well reminded to use our earth given gifts wisely and even more wisely dispose of their leavings. On the one hand it protects the mother lode of minerals while on the other hand it enriches what we take for granted.

Use well; dispose well. Manure comes in many shapes, sizes – and smells!

April 30, 2013

A Quick Trip

Away we went early on a Saturday morning. First light was behind us but no clouds, a weak early glimmer of sunlight promising a warmer day. An early spring day; not really warm, just warmer than what we’ve had for so many months!

And the time behind us has been very busy: elections, newspaper publishing, editing, writing, tracking stories, allowing room for new stories unfolding…..and several organizations and their tasks and hopes unfolding.  Lots of work that kept us busy for months. Without a break, no vacation. It was time.

So we just said do it! And we did. The first thoughts were where and for how long. We had four days we could play hooky. But we assessed all the obligations and settled on two days away. First the dog had to have an arranged stayover at his bed bud’s; then blog essays needed writing in advance. The paper had to get distributed on schedule. Two meetings for the chamber of commerce, and minutes written for both sessions. Then the Friday evening youth meeting couldn’t be missed. Church could we figured and so too a couple of other Saturday meetings. So…all set.

Now figure out where to go. There are only a few places we want to go, but then time requirements restrict many of those selections. So we settled on Galena about 140 miles from home; more west than north so we wouldn’t be going to a cooler clime. With spring floods controlling some areas we were aware we might have to change our itinerary on the fly. But Galena was the target.

Ever been there? An early 1800’s town settled around lead mines – thus the galena name – Latin for lead. The area is quite hilly and very unlike most of Illinois. The Mississippi is nearby with the Apply River flowing westerly across portions of northern Illinois draining into the Mississippi. The town is build on the side of a hill with seemingly impossible steep streets. I still can’t fathom what it must be like on a snowy winter’s day!

Galena has become a popular tourist destination for Chicagoans and Iowa and Wisconsin residents in need of a day’s spin. Chicagoans usually stay overnight and enjoy the charm of a very old city that has lots of stores and good restaurants.

Few streets are straight, many not on a level plain. Old homes built on bed rock only inches below the soil line. Very old trees and architecture. Like a walk into the past.

Antique stores and tchotcke outlets galore. A walking shopper’s dream. Old fashioned sandwich shops and ice cream stores are available. Also a chocolate purveyor. Lots of weekend homes and apartments dot the community. A very old high school high atop the town has been converted to modern condominiums. Staggering views. Quiet surroundings. Restful.

Just what we needed. And only 3.5 hours going the back route through lush farmland and the palisades lining the east bank of the Mississippi River. Quaint small farming villages all along the way. It makes a perfect getaway for the weekend and an intro to Galena. On the eastern outskirts of the tourist city are high hills with valley views. Astonishing for Illinoisans used to being flatlanders. And then a sudden drop and swoop down into the town with its curving streets and escalator hills. Suddenly we are not travelers or Chicagoans anymore! We are short timers of Galena.

We have been here before and are well prepared. Frequent stops for lemonade or coffee and a light sandwich – or maybe a delectable Italian pasta dish! Then more walking and snooping through shops. It dawns on us that we need to arrange a room for the night and our search begins. Away from town is our best bet. We locate a motel and sign in for $108; just one night; paid in advance, please! A great breakfast awaits us the next morning near the lobby.

As we contemplate the remainder of the day – now Sunday, we move on into southwestern Wisconsin and head for Mineral Point. We will make a quick visit there at their art stores, shops, galleries and studios. Then a tasty light lunch before heading home.

We return via high-speed interstates. Only 2.5 hours to make it home. We anxiously retrieve our dog and look forward to it mightily.  Then home, unpack and regroup for the new week ahead of us.

For a short time we have taken a time out. Just what we needed. Exactly what we needed.

April 29, 2013

Thought for the Day

We answer to ourselves for what we do.

That’s my thought for the day. I am interested in a lot of things. Active in many things. Explore inner life as much as I can, read, write and ponder. Some of these things I share with others. Some I don’t. I just sit on them. Let them brew until they are ready – or not!

I have to own these things. No one else can do them for me. I do them for myself. I therefore am responsible for them. I cannot blame another for what I did, or didn't do. It’s all on me!

Same for others. I cannot be responsible for what someone else does or doesn't do. They have their own freight to carry and process.

If something is in need of improvement and we recognize that need, then we can either do something about it or not. If not, we have no room to complain. Is someone attempts to improve this same element, we should thank them for their effort and generosity, or ignore it. If you have a suggestion to improve their effort, you may only share it if you are willing to get involved and carry some weight of the work.

That’s how it is. That’s the role I must play.

Others must face this on their own. That’s their role to play.

April 27, 2013

Feelings...the Big Hurt

This quote popped up on the internet the other day:

            “The one that angers you, controls you.

            Don’t give anyone that power, especially

            The one who does it intentionally.”

I don’t know who wrote it but it is a dandy. And timely in my case.

We publish a newspaper in our town. We've been doing it for 5 years now. Volunteers write the articles, gather the news, share the personalities and happenings, build the calendar, keep track of public meetings of elected officials, track issues and take pictures. We write and edit and proof all of this material. We lay it out as artfully as we can, we include want ads and advertising that hopefully serve the interests of the community. The newspaper is produced bi-weekly for its little city of 13,000.

Volunteers get reimbursed for expenses incurred; one person gets paid a tiny stipend to do design and layout work which takes about 40 hours per issue, sometimes 60 hours! Other than that the volunteers are unpaid.

Our management team has four key people: an executive editor, a managing editor, a layout and design manager, and a person who fills three important roles – technology director, bookkeeper and ad sales director.

After five years our roles are rubbing up against each other. Emotions have become tattered, at least a bit. Trust is invariably a victim of these upsets. Did someone make a mistake, or did they intentionally do something they shouldn't have? Are all the tasks getting done by the assigned person or is the organization struggling because someone is not carrying their full weight? Is the content of the paper accurate? Is there bias present in our reporting? Are columnists grinding a personal ax?

You see where this can go! And in a hurry.

Some team members have lost their cool from time to time. Each of us has. That includes me, too. Our personalities are challenged by circumstances both inside and outside of the newspaper. Life happens and we each face challenges – career, family, financial, etc. pressures build on each of us.

If team health is good we slough these challenges off easily. If trust issues are allowed to fester, the challenges grow and are not easily removed. Team health begins to suffer. Motives are questioned. Feelings are hurt. And the emotional weight becomes large.

Occasionally someone threatens to quit. I've done that. It is the only ace I have in my hand to play. If someone thinks my job performance needs improvement and I don’t agree, someone has to leave. I stand on that principle. One person doesn't like the content of an article/letter to the editor; he wants it omitted; he isn't an editor so doesn't have that call in his job description. He threatens to quit. I will have to quit if he gets his way. I don’t tread on his set of responsibilities and he needs to do the same with mine. I don’t like a number of letters we print; that is our compact with the readers. Write or wrong they get their say as long as they are not libelous or grossly uncivil. Usually the public handles the matter well: ho hums the boring and reacts to factual errors with their own letters. Works every time.

Meanwhile our job is to report what is happening and why when we know it. We build an archive of facts so the community can understand the issues before them. They can research our materials and files at their leisure. Opinion is present in columns and letters but for the most part columns are focused on food, technology skills, calendar items, religious events and issues, gardening methods, and environmental issues. Bit by bit we assemble a chronicle of the community. Thus our name – Village Chronicles.

This process of running a community newspaper by the community has worked well for 5 years. If personal matters remain out of its way, the paper will survive for another 5 years, and maybe 5 after that, and another 5………

If emotion and anger are allowed to enter the process, however, the control of the enterprise is likely doomed. We have to fight the urge to get angry; frustrated, yes. But work out the differences without anger and the control of the organization remains healthy and productive.

I’ll keep you informed on what happens. For now a publishing deadline looms as well as the shadow of yet another management team meeting that may be fraught with anger. Cross your fingers and hope the community witnesses a continuing win.

April 26, 2013

Haunting Eyes, Faces

Friday nights I meet with a group of teenagers. They are there because they are required to. They have been caught drinking, drinking and driving, or drugging or a combination of all three. Most are under 17 years of age.

They are required to be in the program either because their parents said so, or a judge said so, or a judge told the parents that if they didn't get their kid into a program he would make it mandatory at some point. Their choice.

Of course the kids involved think they are being punished. They are being told to do something they don’t want to do. They are correct in reading it that way. But it is for their own good you say?

It may be but under such circumstances the good comes about only if the principals are listening and thinking things through. Emotions are involved and listening and thinking is most likely not getting done.

Somehow an opportunity exists to get them thinking and listening. Listening enough so they can do the thinking on their own terms and making sense of the world around them. They need some guidance but the thinking must still be their own. They have to live with the results; best they own it and build inner confidence from the process.

I found this quote on the internet the other day but couldn’t read the author’s name; too good to skip, so here it is without due credit; just know it is not mine!:

“You decide every moment of every day who you are and what you believe in. you get a second chance, every second.”

Most of us are not aware we are making those decisions, certainly not at the frequency of ‘every moment’. A young person doesn’t have the life experience to provide a reliable filter through which to gauge the world. Choice is not on their radar screen I think. When consequences arise they may recognize choices made but at the time the decision is made I bet they don’t realize it. As Roy Disney stated, “It’s not hard to make decisions once you know what your values are.”

Time is a great teacher. Until then, however, what are we to do to help them?

One is to listen to them. Just listen. Echo back what you hear so they know you are listening. Reserve judgment; keep opinions to yourself until they are ready to hear you.

When you think they are ready to hear, ask about their interests, what excites them? Ask about what hobbies they have. See if you can get them to articulate why that hobby is important to them. Feed them information on that hobby as you come across it. This is another indication you are listening to them.

As trust is built between you and them, share a little about your life and experiences. Highlight those that parallel their experiences. We all get into trouble; what’s your story? How does that relate to their story?

In time we may be able to place stepping stones among us. Stepping stones; to use in navigating the spaces between us. To build a connection hopefully to unite our minds in common task.

Care must be taken to build and retain the trust. It is delicate and fragile.

Along this path we help each other learn and survive. Each has something to share with the other. Regardless of age differences we learn from each other whether intended or not. I know they bring out the best in me. I just hope I am returning that favor for them!

April 25, 2013

Still Searching

Who am I? Who are you? What do you, and I, want to be when we grow up?

Once embarked on a journey of discovery, does it ever end? I’ve been doing this seemingly forever. The pace slows from time to time when other priorities appear, but the search continues.

Working with young people I recognize their blank stares at times are an open question of what will they become? Their momentary silence tells me they are aware of the question just not its answer. What they do with that mystery is quite a challenge.

They could do an internet search on whatever topic raised the question in the first place. Or they may find a pop song particularly interesting, soothing, even enlightening. A casual remark among friends may spark a discussion. Or they may avoid the matter entirely and lose themselves in another way.

Let’s hope it is not drugs or alcohol; the short term release of tension may become a long term behavior filled with agony. Too often this is a chosen outlet. We know this, we adults. We don’t understand the allure but we do witness the fall-out of the choices. The real trouble begins when choice doesn’t control the situation. Choice at this point doesn’t exist. Addiction does.

Halting the cycle of addiction is a chapter of new challenges. First the user needs to stop, even if for a few hours. During that period those who have the necessary tools try to temporarily reprogram the addict. Find a break in habit; extend it; engage the inner person in dialogue that will ease their fear enough to find a small seed of hope.

Boredom may return from time to time. Snap them to attention by introducing a stimulating topic to think about. Something that concerns them, pulls at their minds, and engages their energy in thinking and doing something other than drugging. Or drinking.

I was an addict to cigarettes. I became an addict of alcohol. Not realizing my shift from reality to some never-never land I became detached from the world I thought I was a vital part of. In time I could see the distance because it was becoming a gulf – wide and deep. My goals were slipping away from me. I couldn’t control it any longer. Until someone helped me see it and medical help was provided.

As an adult I could process these happenings better, more fully. I can only imagine how a youth may not be able to handle it at all.

And so we labor on in Friday evening meetings; attempting to engage young minds so they may repair the torn fabric of their lives and resume healthy growth and development. The attempt is real. The question of success is always there. Little mysteries of what they see or notice. What captures their interest and what doesn’t. What makes them laugh spontaneously and with healthy gusto. What brings bright light to their eyes, the glimmer of interest? You can tell when it happens. Their bodies sit a bit taller; they converse with more certainty. They have engaged their mind for the moment. The challenge is to keep it beyond the moment!

What interests I have is not the point. It is what matters to them. To nurture it, press it on them until they take it away on their own and do whatever with it. Finding those interests in a sea of possibility is the challenge. Like a needle in a haystack what is it that will help them recapture reality and possibility? And hope?

Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros offers this insight:

“We give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow.”

We will continue our work to find it. To fail brings too much misery.

April 24, 2013

Getting Art

More than five years ago some volunteers met to discuss forming an art organization in our small town 30 miles west of Chicago. A suburb of modest means in a county of high incomes, public art seemed sparse, local schools were thinning down their art curriculum in favor of higher budget priorities, and local artists didn't seem to have much public voice.

So the Warrenville (Ill.) Arts Council was formed. Its primary purpose was to advance appreciation of art and to encourage art education and expression among those with the urge to do so. The group wished to address both performing and visual arts. At first we would produce performing art concerts during the winter months – October through March. Exhibit events would offer visual artists the opportunity to display and sell their treasures. In time we hoped to offer classes to those interested in exploring their artistic side of life.

With four seasons of concerts offered from late October through April, the Arts Council has also produced four annual art showcases. The latter events provided exhibit halls for many artists working in diverse genres – oil and watercolor paints, sculpture, photography, ceramics, glass work, jewelry making, paper arts, fabric arts, woodworking arts, and metal arts. Coupled with these exhibits in separate performing spaces were short concerts encompassing dance, theater  voice (both solo and choral), jazz ensemble and classical string quartets as well as pop musical offerings. Our most recent showcase was titled Art Works 2013 and was held April 14, 2013.

325 attendees came for the day-long event. 20 exhibit booths were present to engage visitors. Four concerts were offered in the auditorium. Financially the event broke even, even gaining some reserve dollars for next year’s showcase.

With volunteer turnover our group struggled to produce the showcase this year. Leaders among the clan stretched themselves to learn how to manage the event and build on past successes. Together they prospered. They invested a lot of sweat, blood and tears to make the event happen. Together success was theirs.

Many neighbors and friends of these volunteers continue to wonder why these efforts continue. Perhaps Leonardo DaVinci said it best:

            “Painting is poetry which is seen and not heard, and

             Poetry is a painting which is heard but not seen.”

The human spirit generates thoughts that have weight and importance. Not all thoughts are shared. Often such thoughts are difficult to articulate for others to understand. Art provides a medium through which to express those thoughts. The beauty of a musical thread or melody; the voice of a single person singing a line of joy or loneliness; a wood carving that sculpts a shape of sinuosity, warmth, texture, wood grain and color; a ceramic pot both functional and sensuous. These are thoughts shared in shapes, colors and materials that combine to delight the mind, the eye and the ear. And touch. Don’t forget tactile articulations.

Expressing the self, the inner human self, is a complex process. It requires discipline and creativity and selflessness to allow wondrous things to come into being. These creations are the outward expressions of artists. The art itself is then free to be perceived by those seeking communion with the art forms. They are accidental in meeting. There is no great social calendar that organizes all of us into intended gatherings. Happenstance plays a large role in these things. We stroll an exhibit, a museum or attend a concert. We explore such opportunities.

In doing so we hope for a surprise. A unique encounter with an artistic product that speaks to us on an individual basis. Your spouse or friend suddenly stops. They are mesmerized by what they are experiencing. You do not see it. You are itchy to keep strolling, or move on to another performance. But no; the other person is rooted in place to contemplate the art object before him. A conversation within the mind is happening.

We give him or her space in such moments. We allow the surprise encounter to both happen and mature.

Intersections of minds and souls are the stuff of art. We know it when we feel it. The incident is not a universal thing; the process is, however.

And the mind carries the conversation onward to more creation and appreciation.

Such are the rewards of art. And its necessity.

April 23, 2013

Two Lessons from Boston

Time is healing my upset over the Boston Marathon bombings. The frustration and sorrow felt for innocents remains but is ebbing. Not because I care less for those killed and injured, but because I am gaining insight and meaning far beyond what I expected. Time has given me that.

It helps to have American crime fighters expertly sifting for clues and identifying perpetrators, cornering them, capturing/killing one, and hot on the heels of the terrorist on the loose. And then to capture him alive; damaged but alive.

But there is more to notice, to learn, to absorb from this horrible incident.

First, modern technology provides us immediate contact with one another and other information sources. That is good; but it also threatens our privacy and serenity. Yet this very same technology allows us to share massive amounts of data with one another and authorities to gather vital data. This makes us safer in the long run. Better protected. We give up some privacy and gain more safety.

Second, the Boston Marathon itself is a celebration of community. Boston demonstrates special strength of its identity. It revels in connecting with all parties and building meaningful togetherness. As the Boston mayor and Massachusetts governor stated, Boston is a special place where neighbors remember each other and support one another.

That came together as the national spotlight witnessed the city and suburb lock down  as people cooperated with the authorities, and collaborated with them as well. Shared data, shared photos, puzzlement and wonder that formed questions then shared with police. As a result the community worked together to solve its problem.

The crisis was handled well, responded to quickly, and resolved.

Now we must pull the lessons learned from the massive effort. So we can prepare for the next time, sure; but more, to resolve that we only are as strong as we are willing to share our community with one another. That is where the strength lies. That is where our future is born.

If we can do this – and we already have! – then why not in other areas of communal life?

Imagine the future we could build! A future where new energy sources are invented to replace the old sources, where new forms of transportation are created to move people cheaply, safely and quickly in urban areas, where diverse populations co-exist peacefully and happily. And housing; new forms of housing that make better use of existing land parcels, miser utility demands, encourage cooperation among neighbors. Housing that uplifts rather than demeans.

In mass population centers we will be able to live with independence yet with collaboration. The two can work together in serenity and privacy. Anonymity is as much in the mind as it is in the physical world. Private not alone. Together in safety. And in purpose.

Boston has been a special place. It remains so. A good model for tomorrow, too.

April 22, 2013

Thought for the Day

Do what you love. Steve Jobs made this statement:

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”

This has been true for me most of my life. And my family members, too. If one of us becomes unhappy at our jobs it usually happens when we have fallen out of love for our job. Or it with us!

Working with young people I sense their frustration. They look for what they like to do. They hope to get paid for doing it. They pull satisfaction from that activity. It helps identify who they are. And their worth. Searching is often lonely. Boring. Unfruitful.

Do not give up the search. You will find your promise with time. Just remember to be true to yourself. Seek and you shall find. Give up the search and you will never find it.

April 20, 2013

Fearing Change

Our town is contemplating long term objectives. Hard enough to get a block party organized let alone agree on a time to meet! And here we are trying to organize a potential downtown area where none has been before.

Over the years – since 1833 actually – our community took root and grew fitfully; in spurts of energy sometimes, laconically in others. A gathering of buildings and homes in one place while others took shape near a railroad line. New stores and shops were added where convenient, just not always centralized to the other edifices.

In time two general areas of activities formed: one north, one south. A gas station, a bar, an auto repair shop. Then a grocery and a TV repair service. This was old town. Uptown was the train depot, some offices for an attorney, a drug store, an ice cream shop…you get the picture. City hall located uptown; so did the police department. A few businesses joined them. Later, much later, the commuter railroad ceased operation; uptown’s pace slowed.

Two town centers. Then new homes built on the outskirts. A new grocery store – supermarket actually, and a smallish shopping center. A cross roads of a state highway and one of our busy thoroughfares made a bright new center of commercial activity. Three town centers. A bank, a couple of restaurants, a bowling alley and another gas station or two.

Three town centers. Three. Not connected to one another. A community trifurcated; bifurcated is tough enough; but trifurcated? Hmmm.

So now in 2013, for the umpteenth attempt, the community is being asked to consider building an actual downtown – intentionally!  How daring to plan the future. How nervy of us to consider doing something together for the benefit of us all. And with forethought. We must have turned the corner sometime in the recent past to be responsible for our own future. When was that do you suppose?

Now come public discussions about the plans. What legal programs have to be put into place to make these plans possible, even viable. What sort of investment does the community have to make to get things started? What options can we pursue, should we choose to make the best plan? What do we want? What do you want? How do we come together in support of the common plan. Is there a common plan?

And then the questions begin – at first slow and tentative, later querulous and edgy, spiked with attitude. Maybe not attitude exactly, more like a sense of fear. What are we getting ourselves into? Will this work? Who benefits? Who pays? Anyone get hurt? Whose idea is this in the first place? What motivates him or them? Should we be more careful? Do we let any of this happen?

Safety. Keeping things the same. No change, no fear of the unknown. Maybe we should slow this process down. Maybe we don’t need a downtown. Maybe three town centers are just fine. Maybe……

Why are we so afraid of change? Why do we plan the future? Why can’t we just get along with each other?

April 19, 2013

Shame on Us

Actually shame upon the Congress of the United States of America. Firearm background checks were clearly supported by most Americans. They told their elected representatives of this. The attorneys who know understand the proposed legislation was not in danger of undermining the US Constitution, specifically the second amendment.

The proposed legislation did not remove guns from anyone. The new law was not unusual or unprecedented. It was a law that had been in place but the old law expired its stated term but reviving it has been impossible for many years – because politicians chose to keep the new law from being approved.

Senators evidently feel they have a right for full employment as a senator for life. That they don’t have to do anything for their pay, their employment, their contract with the people of the United States.  They swear to uphold the law, the Constitution. Yet they took refuge from logic because they felt they would be voted out of office by daring to go against the National Rifle Association.

Hogwash. The American voters know the scoop. They are authorizing the writing of the new gun legislation. Elected officials are put in office to do the will of the people. Yet they chose to renege on that employment contract.

Perhaps they are cowards. Perhaps they have no working core of logic in their minds. Perhaps they are overly self centered. Whatever the reason, they have let the country down. And they now bring shame upon themselves and the innocent victims of gun violence.

More importantly they have brought shame to America. We cannot get things done. That is the real message.

Same with education. Our system is broken but they choose to ignore it. Our state legislators ignore it too. Everyone is running around pointing fingers of blame when all they have to do is sit down in a room, admit there is a problem and then work with others to find ways to solve the problem, or at least improve upon the situation. Doing nothing is not an option.

Yet that is what they have been doing in Congress, in Illinois’ legislature, in New York’s legislature, and most other states as well. Same with pension reform. Same with election finance reform. Also, too, with national long term energy problems.

The list goes on. Lots of problems. Lots of work needing to get done. But no heroes among our elected officials. They seek ways to escape their responsibility. And they get away with it.

And that’s the largest shame of all. We. The. Voters. Let. This. Happen. Over and over again. We let it happen. No consequences. The ballot box is without power evidently. We ignore the ignominy. We let it happen.

It is on us what’s wrong with our country. It isn't just Washington DC or state capitols. It is Home Town USA. It is each of us.

It all rests on us.

Are you ready to take on the responsibility? Are you?

April 18, 2013

Finding an Opportunity to Grow

Blogs take many shapes and fill many purposes. Mine is a personal commentary of living life. Unfolding meaning and events provide the action of a life. The fabric is another matter entirely.

What has significance at any moment adds to the fabric. The shape and context of a life is not intentional; mostly accidental. Something happens and reactions are registered. Some good, some not so good. Sometimes we make the best of things without thinking while other times we stumble around making an unholy mess of things.

Taking some time to think on the latter statement can prove helpful in personal growth.

Witness the difficult personality who always seems to poke fun at others, belittles their attempts to do the right thing, and undercut the efforts of others. This troubling person is a thorn in the side of most people in a group. Yet when the comments are dissected elements of value emerge. Perhaps a germ of a better idea is born? A different wrinkle on a specific problem area yields a creative solution that no one else has thought of. Brainstorming these ideas may help produce results desired by everyone in the group.

But getting the piece of gold out of the above circumstance is not easy! Someone has to be able and willing to brave the blistering negativity; calm the unsettled personality. Make friends again. Find the nuggets and attempt the task afresh.

Tedious work at times but necessary if you are working with volunteers.

Some volunteers are ever happy to donate time and effort. They just don’t want to think of process or task. They wish someone else to do that and then to tell them what to do. That way they spend time happily producing good things and feel a part of the whole.

Other volunteers have to be in control – of something. Maybe it is just a specific task but often it is of the entire project. If several of these are present at the same time, trouble can be expected. If only one appears he or she becomes a savior to take on the project entirely. A hero and champion of the good deed! Their demands and ideas are celebrated when the project concludes successfully.

If not that is another matter completely.

Volunteers. They bring smiles and hope and earnestness of purpose. They want good things to happen and wish to be a part of it. They keep boards and commissions running. They come up with ideas to serve others in areas of need. They raise funds for good causes. They celebrate the positive and soften the negative histories among us. They help us cross the street or find the right goods on the grocer’s shelf. They open doors – or hold them safely in strong winds – and allow us safe passage in a risky world.

Volunteers. They define communities in very special ways. In churches and clubs, government circles and service agencies, they provide the effort-power to make things happen.

Are we part of that community element? Are we serving others or being served? Or both? Einstein asked us to take action: “Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act.”

It pays to ponder this from time to time. What is my role?

April 17, 2013

Taxes and Blessings

Yesterday was the tax filing deadline. Did you make it? Or did you ask for an extension?  As usual I procrastinated buy 6 weeks before the deadline I worked up the details, filled out some forms as a draft, then like a coward dropped the mess off at my friendly CPA!  She’s done marvels with it, knew things I didn't  and strategized when I just didn't have the energy to.

Bottom line – the taxes are done and filed well before deadline. So I’m free for now.

But I’ve been in the other position, too. Even very late. Had to reconstruct some years of data to finally get the past cleaned up but eventually the IRS and I were in agreement and I was allowed to pursue the future.

As we ponder the serious purpose of taxes and the annual contract we have with our national government, it might pay to think on some other matters that may at first seem an ill fit.

George Bernard Shaw offered this bit of wisdom: “No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says; He is always convinced it says what he means.”

From an internet site named Sevenly.org comes this quote: “There’s enough on this planet for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’s greed.”

This from Clarence Darrow: “A criminal is a person with predatory instincts without sufficient capital to form a corporation.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. made this statement: “Capitalism fails to realize that life is social. Communism fails to realize that life is personal. The good and just society is…a socially conscious democracy which reconciles the truths of individualism and collectivism.”

Jacques Fresco came up with this bon mot: “I was asked once, ‘You’re a smart man. Why aren’t you rich?’  I replied, ‘Your’re a rich man. Why aren't you smart?’”

Another gem from George Bernard Shaw: “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”

What do these quotes have to do with paying taxes? Simple. We make our living and share some of its bounty with others; also we share our resources to do things for all of us that alone we cannot.

We don’t have to be greedy to resent paying taxes, but we need to remember that much of what we pay supports the things we benefit the most from ourselves. Like buying a home with a loan invested by others, we are riding on bridges and roadways built and paid for by all of us. Also hospitals, schools and great institutions which are the result of our combined efforts, work and shared wealth.

We are not islands unto ourselves but common citizens within a land of free and brave souls yearning and working to do their best. Some may not rise to the same level of effort; but all will benefit from the whole nonetheless.

Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick had this to say about taxes:

“Taxes are the price of civilization. I’d like to think that the most prosperous nation in human history can have both freedom and security. I think we have reached a point where my personal success is not threatened by a program to help our parents retire with dignity. Voters are smart enough to see that taxes are one of the ways we get those things. They are the price we pay for civilization.”

We are blessed to be Americans. We do not always earn that blessing. But then that’s what makes it a blessing in the first place.

The IRS is not a thankful organization; it is an authoritative government agency. But we are a thankful society. And that’s what counts.

April 16, 2013

Blog Draft April 15

Usable Quotes

Found a number of quotations on the internet from the past few weeks. Thought you might find them interesting as well.  Good reminders.

From the Dali Lama: “When you think everything is someone else’s fault, you will suffer a lot.”

From Socrates: “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”

From Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.”

From Barry Goldwater, former Republican presidential candidate of 1964: “Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they’re sure trying to do so, it’s going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can’t and won’t compromise. I know; I've tried to deal with them.”

From Booker T. Washington: “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”

Finally, a friend shared this with me the other day:

“There is no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection.”

An essay of deep value could be written on each of these quotes. Rather than bore you with my thoughts, take the time to think on each one on your own. Feel their power and notice how each changes you. At least for the moment. Now, make those moments count.

April 15, 2013

Thought for the Day

Getting Along

A quote this morning from Robert Reich, an economist and former Labor Secretary for President Clinton.  He stated:

“The best way to learn anything is to talk to people who disagree with you. That’s harder and harder to do in a polarized society because those who disagree have been living inside their own bubbles and they tend to argue not with logic or fact but with slogans they've heard repeatedly.”

While arguing in that fashion they cannot resist pushing other peoples’ buttons. Soon it is an argument rather than a discussion. Not much is learned in an argument. I've learned that the hard way just recently; passion and anger do not mix. Frustration; ah, now that’s another topic!

April 13, 2013

Exhausting Week

A lot was worked on this week and we are tired. Not only is this a production week for the paper (distributed on Thursday, mailed on Friday), but a lot of writing, late breaking coverage and the election results needed. I do that work in the main. Others volunteer, too, but city matters and city administration issues I’m the front man for.

Additionally I was on the ballot to remain on the board of commissioners for the Park District. (I won!) Management differences at the paper erupted and stole precious time and energy leaving frayed nerves and friendships in the wake.

On top of it all the Arts Council annual showcase event is this Sunday and its all hands on deck to produce it and bring it home successfully to the entire community. It is a day long event and exhausting for the volunteers and board members. Artists, too, of course!  We couldn’t do anything without them!! They are the reason we labor on.

Next week is packed with board meetings and official duties as well. And the CoffeeCON blockbuster event arrives in May, something any coffee lover will love and look forward to. Still, it has to be produced and supported if it is to be a success.

Meanwhile, church, charities and other organizations and issues beg for attention. Volunteers throughout the city are lending hands and heart to make good things happen. They will of course happen; but their joint appearance does tax the core strength of the community at times.

We shall get through this.

Meanwhile back at our private abode we still are searching for housing that will contain and nurture our lives. That is a tall task. Living in one the most expensive counties in the nation makes that task more difficult. We are calling in help from our friends to locate the perfect place so we can continue to live here. And do the things we love in and for the community.

We shall get through this, too. It’s what Americans do so well.

Meanwhile we will sleep and rest to regain some strength from these busy days. Also the reason for this short blog!

April 12, 2013

Election Results

Who won? Which referendum succeeded? Who lost? Are the results going to make for changes in our community?

There are many ways to report election results. It is not just about numbers and candidates. It is more about the temper and sensibility of a community as they participate in the democratic process. What does it all mean?

Our local elections were typical of many towns. Would the city council have new faces ready to change the way business is done? Or will there be continuity with familiar faces? Same for the Park District, Library District, school board and many other issues on the ballot.

In Warrenville, Illinois these were the results:

For Mayor, the incumbent won easily over a challenger focused on one primary issue – flooding – and a scattering of ideas on intergovernmental leadership and cooperation. The incumbent won I think because he has a mature understanding of all the issues the community faces and has a productive process in analyzing all of them to make workable decisions. For aldermen two were challenged. One by a newcomer and another by a long-term resident with connections to previous political controversies. Both challengers lost. The result: consensus leadership on the council as it continues to prepare for the future – whatever that holds. The council’s posture is positive and forward thinking.

The Park District incumbents won the right to continue serving the public.  The incumbent leadership team has a strong vision of the budget, mission and future for the park district and will be able to continue pursuit of those elements to serve the needs of the community while husbanding fiscal resources. New faces were offered for the Library Board and they included some old hands. One was retained; one old hand newcomer was barely rejected while a newcomer joined the board. All three appeared to be well suited for the position they campaigned for.

The school board (CUSD 200) focused on retaining three familiar faces and introducing one new face supported by the incumbents. Two incumbents were retained, while a newcomer made his entrance to the board. Time will tell if the two towns represented will get equal consideration for education resources.

A key referendum for a new facility to handle pre-school students with special needs lost 2 to 1. Not a positive note but expected during difficult economic times. The kids with the greatest needs – especially at an early, tender age – will still be supported well; just not as well as they could be in a facility designed for that purpose rather than a makeshift, worn out school building designed for other purposes.

Winfield, Illinois had a major leadership issues highlighted by the elections. They have an incumbent group of town trustees all running for re-election. They are opposed by a vigorous panel of independents with much hullabaloo present. Yard signs, banners, three newspapers in publication with warring claims. Time will tell if the winners and losers will make a difference for a town facing severe economic hardships and intractable problems.

Perhaps the larger story is turnout. Local elections often get little voter attention and participation. That is too bad because local government units is where voters have the most impact. It is the local community that gets the services it needs – or doesn't  – and where the voters can exert the most power. If we all pay attention to the local issues the regional and national issues will fall in place much more easily. There’s a lesson in there for all of us to learn.

Fail locally, fail nationally. Strong communities build strong regions and states. Lord only knows what happened in Illinois! We have an extremely weak state and weak regions. Some counties are doing well but that is because local citizens have stepped forward to take responsibility.

Why not the state legislature and Congress?

April 11, 2013

More Housing Issues

Let’s get off the co-housing topic for awhile. Related to it – but far different – are other community needs that hinge on housing patterns. Here are some elements to think on.

• How walkable is my neighborhood? Can I and the kids or older people easily and safely walk from home to home, street to street, maybe a park or a small convenience store?
• Can I walk or bike to local shops or a coffee shop? Can I meet friends there easily without worrying about parking or transportation?
• How diverse is our population in age, kids at home, income, heritage, marital status and the like? Are we very much alike or different? Do we celebrate the diversity?
• How close are public institutions – library, city hall, recreation center, chamber of commerce?
• How near are larger stores and shopping centers? Are they served by public transportation? Or easily accommodating of shared ride programs?
• And housing itself; is it affordable, available in diverse styles, sizes and costs? Are rental units in the mix? Condos? Townhomes? Single family homes?
• Is there a newspaper in town? One that focuses on just our residents? How about related websites and other communication networks?
• Are schools supported by the public in more ways than just tax dollars? Do parents get involved with the kids and their schools? Are the schools addressing issues of diversity?
• Are medical facilities and doctor offices, dentists and other medical specialties available in town? Are hospitals of high quality and near by?

Of course there are other elements worthy of discussion here, things like the state of city services, the attitude of the community about itself, employment opportunities within or near the community, and transportation systems for commuting to jobs within the farther flung region.

A lot of different things make a community whole. Are we thinking about these things? Are we researching them? Are our elected officials pursuing these issues and considering adoption for our community? Are the several local government entities doing the same and collaborating with each other? Is our community future oriented or holding the line for the past?

So much to think about. Who does this in your town? Who is paying attention to all of the working parts of the community? Are you involved? Are you participating? Are you keeping up with issues as they surface?

Maintaining diversity is an important context issue for all communities. One point of diversity is age. Are elders encouraged to remain living in town or are they pushed out to places better suited for caring for their needs? Ought we be concerned about this issue?

In my consulting career it came home to me and my clients over and over again – it is not the answers you find for questions; it is all about the questions being asked. Are we asking the right questions? Before it is too late, or after?

Are we even asking questions?

April 10, 1213

More on Co-Housing

Co-housing was addressed here yesterday. Much more can be said about the concept. In time the discussion will become rich with possibilities, pitfalls and potential solutions. Talking about the subject stretches our minds around the topic and expands both our understanding of the issue as well as the solutions that are readily available.

The alternatives to co-housing are mostly negative. These dark blots are what co-housing is designed to eliminate or at least soften.  Here’s a partial list of the negatives attempting to be avoided:

• Running out of money as a senior citizen; co-housing stretches resources so the person or couple can remain independent as long as possible
• Serious injury caused by doing housework while no longer able; think changing light bulbs in an overhead fixture and standing on a shaky platform to reach the socket – and falling
• Heart attacks from shoveling snow or doing yard work too heavy for our capability
• Dying alone and in pain out of sight and mind of a supportive community
• Wasting plentiful housing resources now standing empty and unused
• Social connections wasting away to nothing as peers move away or die; those who remain become isolated 

There are other things to think about. If your town doesn’t have alternative housing to retain its elder population they will move away and your community will be denied their skills, knowledge and valuable insight. This brain drain is a threat that most communities cannot afford.

In past generations multi-generation family living arrangements were common. Grandma lived with us, at times so did an aunt or uncle. This was part of our national social compact, not a form of charity. It enriched households. Of course it also challenged younger generations but those challenges kept them realistic and forward thinking about their own eventual aging and care requirements.  Perhaps we should rethink of these elements again?

Today we keep the generations separate. Elaborate planning provides gatherings a few times each year, maybe a family reunion every five or ten years. But the generational passing of the torch takes more interaction than that. We need to live lives more closely associated with one another to successfully pass knowledge between generations.

There are other benefits for the younger generation as well. As we learn to live with more broken homes and single parents, other adults are needed in our lives to help raise kids and build happy homes. If older generations of family are not available, elder citizens are present! Maybe next door, or in the church. But probably still in your community willing and ready to help. They just can’t do everything for themselves anymore. So they have needs. The younger family has needs. Share the needs and the services and build a better life together.

Co-housing may provide a creative solution.

Also today, many homes stand empty with previous owners unable to afford the mortgages, utilities and taxes on the property. Lenders, government and real estate managers could easily work together to use the properties intelligently while also solving broader social issues enumerated above.

Co-housing. Perhaps it is time to see this possibility with fresh eyes?

April 9, 2013

Co-Housing

What is co-housing? It is when two or more unrelated family units share living space intentionally.  This saves on living expenses of course. But it also accomplishes a great deal more.

For starters, sharing a home means chores and house responsibilities are shared. Maintenance is one item on the routine to-do list. So is cleaning. How about outdoor chores like lawn mowing or snow shoveling, or planting flowers and keeping the deck or patio attractive?

Of course there are other routines that can be shared as well. Cooking, meal planning, setting table and washing dishes are a few common tasks. Some people in the home like to do some of the chores. Others are downright expert at them. Still others cannot do everything and need help. Others may be low on funds but high on energy, health and willingness to lend a hand.

In a co-housing environment everyone makes a difference. And their contributions are not only necessary, they are appreciated!

How else does this housing option work? Here are a few points to make:

• Everyone (or a couple) has their private space. Hopefully this includes a bedroom and bathroom
• Ideally each ‘family’ also has a private space to prepare light meals or snacks along with a den-like room for reading, watching TV or napping without upsetting the routine of the other residents
• Sharing living rooms and dining rooms are another feature of the home. Residents join the household for common time at planned meals or gathering times for shared reading, group activities or enjoyment of music or TV entertainment.
• Shared laundry facilities are available for each family to use; so too are shared garage or parking spaces. 

Under normal circumstances co-housing is suited for older adult populations, usually those with limited assets or incomes in need of making financial ends meet! Also there are elders who can no longer do all the things needing to be done in taking care of a home. So they share what they can do in payment for what others need doing for them. Think of child care during the day when working parents need to be away from the home. Or transportation to and from school or family activities, or even visits for doctor appointments. 

Of course co-housing benefits everyone who has a mind to enjoy this form of group living. Enriched discussions, shared points of view, shared hobbies, growing new friendships – deep relationships with lasting value.

Co-housing fills a need in our society. It is very much missing as an active option however. You will not find ads for co-housing opportunities or people searching for them. Yet we need them. Think Baby Boomers aging, losing life partners, getting ill, outliving their financial strength, etc. These sorts of problems are age-old; the new wrinkle is that 50 million Americans may be experiencing them at the same time. And that makes a logistical nightmare a very real possibility.

What can be done about these probabilities? A lot. Co-housing is only one option. But if we get serious about addressing all of these related needs I think our nation will come up with some interesting solutions. Some may even be attractive, enticing and wildly successful.

Perhaps we need to think about this more. And then try doing something.

April 8, 2013

Thought for the Day

Scattered Focus

At recent gatherings and meetings I've noticed a decided lack of focus. Conversations are easily diverted to other topics. Nervous laughter and fidgeting gives charge to the atmosphere. A rocky start to a meeting winds up in general discussion and private side comments throughout the room. In short the agenda is not working.

Normally this is a sign of poor meeting leadership; lack of discipline among participants. The purpose of the meeting is lost or never fully formed. Group work is frustrated and nothing much gets accomplished.

Observing this behavior in several settings recently I'm getting the idea that something else is at work. Perhaps it is as simple as the beginning of spring, or the hope of it? Maybe we are all just anxious for warmer weather to begin?

Whatever the cause a pause is needed. This weekend take time to sort out your thoughts and feelings. Find some moments to focus on peace and calm. Nurture that feeling. Let it grow. By Monday morning have a defined objective for the coming week. Stick to it. Maybe your focus will rub off on others?

Or maybe it is just the coming of spring and all the hopes it holds for us! Either way, enjoy.

April 6, 2013

Waiting

It’s a long boring road. Waiting. Waiting some more. Taking a nap to push it out of mind. Upon waking nothing has changed. Back to waiting.

The house is still our home. It just doesn't belong to us; not really. We are in foreclosure. The house is listed for a short sale. Fannie Mae wants it to be over. So does Citimortgage. And us. Oh do we want it to be over. So we can get on with our lives wherever that takes us.

Who would have thought life would take this turn? Certainly not me. The overachiever, one-time high income earner? Lover of all things ‘community’. The person who thinks each of us can make a difference (we can!). The guy who listens to kids in trouble, elderly in poor health, and dispirited souls of any stripe?

Still things are good. The car works. It has nice features. It’s used and heavily indebted, but it is the magic chariot that takes us where we need to go. There are places we’d like to go but not enough gas money to make the trips. Still the possibility remains!

We still have art to inspire our days. Books to both tickle and challenge the mind. Friends to communicate with. Ideas to write about and share. Public problems to ponder and solutions to tinker with and suggest to the town leaders.

We have meaningful days, just not very full. We nap a lot. And wait for someone to buy the house so we can move on to whatever will be.

We've looked at possible housing options. The most affordable – no not a tent! – is a manufactured home. Most people think of them as double wide house trailers. We think of them as compact, easy to care for, efficient housing that offers accessibility and shelter. We like them. Just not where they usually are located. That would be trailer parks. You can dress them up but they are still trailer parks. Filled with the elderly and low income people. Nice enough people, really. Just people who have fewer and fewer options to pursue. Like us.

Wonder what it will be like living in small rooms? No yard. Close neighbors. Are they waiting too?

To get attention from the mortgage holder you stop paying the mortgage. That’s easy enough. Living costs take most of the income and it’s nice to have a little left over at the end of the month. Still it takes the mortgage bank three months to take notice, four to take your call and discuss matters in earnest.

We offered a short sale solution immediately. They said to file for a HAMP – Homeowner’s Assistance Mortgage Program (or something like that). I already did that; twice. Turned down both times but got a great modified loan directly from Fannie Mae, this time though not enough cash for medications and food, so the foreclosure was the only option. HAMP application was filed anyway to satisfy Fannie Mae. Turned down just like I thought. Suggested the short sale option again and this time they said yes. On the market since mid-September! We are now in April. A full year of not paying the mortgage. Five people have viewed the home. The price is $110,000 lower than the house was worth three years ago. When sold the net value of the house will be $60,000 or more below the mortgage balance. If they had worked sooner that loss would have been lower. But….

So the court summons arrives announcing the formal court foreclosure proceedings. We are invited to remain in the house to keep it safe from vandals and the ravages of winter weather. We pay the HOA fees, the utilities and a couple thousand in repairs for the plumbing. We keep the house homey. We treat it as the home it is! And go about our usual routines.

Those are less and less as we contemplate what comes later. Will there be a home for us in our community? Or will we have to relocate? We know a trailer park filled with people like us. Waiting for the next day and the next to dawn and promise…what?

Not sure. But we do what we can; we wait.

April 5, 2013

Being Disagreeable

Complainers like the poor will always be with us. It is a fact of life. They do not need our help to enable them or nurture their negativism. They will do that all on their own.

I state this because local elections are next week. With them complainers emerge with their tales of woe, causes for concern and outright forecast for ruination. When asked for details they may be able to hold forth for a while on a narrow issue; but when placed within context of all other issues and routine operations of local government, they are not offering anything of substance.

Meanwhile others have volunteered personal leadership and have worked long and hard to make sense of problems and public needs, invented programs to address those problems, and implemented the solutions with success. Not perfection, but movement toward a common goal that makes sense. In short this is the story of a local community working together to build a good community that is sustainable for the long term.

It takes effort to develop shared definitions of problems or pitfalls to avoid. More effort is needed to define shared goals. Still more work is required to find resources to use in developing the programs that solve problems long term. Not everyone in the community will agree with everything all the time. Disagreements will naturally occur.

That is not the problem. The problem is disagreeable behavior that destroys comity within the community. Differences of opinion become personal attacks. Choosing sides becomes sport at local diners and barber shops.  Leaders are maligned and belittled.

This may come with the territory in leadership positions. But it doesn't have to. If leaders are discouraged to do their work, new volunteers and leaders will be discouraged to step forward. The long term issues of the community will likely go unchallenged and the community suffers accordingly.

America likes a good fight! So the commentators say. Truth told, however, most citizens do not like the fight. They like collaboration and cooperation by which community needs are addressed well and fairly. Bickering wastes time, talent, patience and resources. In time bickering deters positive actions toward solving community problems. 

Cooperation empowers volunteers and citizens to support solutions and enjoy community solidarity at the same time. The whole sense of community is enriched.

Local political environments are described above. Now take it to the county and state levels. Then to the federal level of government. See the parallels? Understand why Congress doesn't get along and actually shoots their collective feet with their own gun? Nothing much gets done. Nothing.

At the local level we can have better results. It takes being agreeable and polite. Civil. Much is to be gained in this operating environment. The opposite behavior produces very little and at very high cost.

How much of this can we put up with?

April 4, 2013

Government Transparency

By the time this is read local elections will be over and winners announced. I wanted to share with you some comments on the issue of transparency in local governance Warrenville style. This issue has been raised from time to time by candidates of different stripes.

In my opinion we have transparency. The city council’s meetings are an open book for all to see, read and study. Questions are readily answered one on one with city staff and council members – aldermen and mayor. Further, the local newspaper provides background information, current articles, white papers covering the history of important issues, and archive files on all of this plus a letters section for readers to pose their questions and opinions on sundry issues. And get answers in return for their questions! A community dialogue is thus encouraged.

If anyone believes the city is hiding behind closed doors or secret meetings of committees, commissions or task forces, they are mistaken. Having served on the council for four years I know there are no discussions or group phone calls among council members on any issue. All business is conducted in the open and well documented. There isn’t enough time to do it any other way.

It takes work to attend all the public meetings. Yet elected officials and staff do attend these meetings. Not very many citizens do, however. It also takes concentration to follow all the details. If a citizen wants to know something all he/she has to do is the footwork or read the newspaper. It is easy to make public comments and grandstand endlessly posing questions designed not to be answered. That does not make Warrenville more transparent.

If the city were to report in detail all fire and police calls, all invoices incurred and paid, and countless other details of every day governance operations, the city would have more expense and get less done. Meanwhile these details are not hidden. They are available if you want to spend some time. Your time and expense, not the city’s or taxpayers!

Which will it be? Your time or city staff’s time you pay to get our business accomplished? Why would anyone want to hide information from citizens? It would be costly, difficult and illegal to do so. So it is not done.

While we are at it, will it be your time and effort or the newspapers? The paper does it for you. At no cost. This provides transparency to the governance of the community. The paper is free. All citizens need to do is read it to be informed. If a citizen thinks the paper is missing something, tell them and the paper will look into it. Need help understanding something? Ask the paper!

While you’re at it, please donate time and money to the local newspaper to keep it operating. In our case the paper is a non-profit, volunteer publication for the good of the community. Don’t like what you see? Help them be better.  Today!

April 3, 2013

Housing...

Continuing from yesterday’s blog I want to bring attention to various housing problems we face as a nation. This is one of those issues that has a local face. We can try to ignore it but it will not go away. It is with us now. It will be with us for a long time to come. It will affect lives negatively unless we do something to both soften the problem and its effects, and eventually solve it permanently.

It is elder housing. That’s the issue.  Here are some important components of it.

First, the housing must be affordable for the remainder of life for the elders who are intended to live within it. The cost of securing the home must be within a reasonable percentage of the person’s/couple’s monthly income. If the residents are wealthy, there is little or no issue.

The truth of the matter, however, on a national scale is that most Americans will have difficulty affording their housing. That’s a bottom line statement that probably covers 80% or more of our older citizens, 65 years old and above.

Many couples consider themselves lucky to be receiving monthly income of $2000; 30% of that figure is $600. Try buying a home or renting an apartment for that amount. It is nearly impossible unless you settle for a home below your needs and not nurturing of your long term needs.

A retired couple’s earnings of $3000 per month is considered ‘middle class’. 30% of that figure is $900 per month. Again, try renting a home or apartment for that amount these days, especially in cities where strong medical facilities are located. You will find monthly housing costs exceeding $1000 easily; more likely $1200 or more.

Cost of housing is more difficult when utilities are added in, and maintenance, and rising monthly pricing of both the rent and the supporting costs. $600 per month is rare unless the home is in a low income, poor region of the country.

Some will say that most people have paid off their home’s mortgage and the only cost of housing is utilities, maintenance, taxes and remodeling intended to extend the access and usefulness of the home during later years marked by limited mobility of the body. The truth is that most people do not pay off their mortgage. Rather they sell the larger home, downsize to a smaller home that is both easier to live within, maintain, clean and pay for. The equity in the larger home either fully pays for the smaller home or mostly does.

The latter scenario was the norm of past years. Not today. The Great Recession of the early 2000’s reduced the value of most homes by at least $100,000. The ‘nest egg’ assumed in the equity figure has evaporated for most homeowners. That is the truly huge truth statement American have to face in the question of housing adequacy for senior citizens. No longer can we assume that this generation is in good financial shape. Much has happened to reduce the circumstances of most middle class retirees just before they take the step to retire.

Then there is the medical reality for many. Failing health or at least limited health has increased medical costs, reduced earning capabilities for part time work, and increased the needs of the future housing unit. With that comes higher pricing as well. Now the home must be accessible for mobility standards, on one level, adapted for easy reaching and maintenance. Such homes are small in number. They also are increasingly more costly.

Please notice we are still discussing cost elements of elder housing. There are many components to the discussion focused only on costs. Economic factors have changed the way Americans live at all levels of income, but mostly elder Americans have more challenges today than they did in the past. This leads to the next element to talk about.

Second, Long Term Adaptability of elder housing. Senior citizens are living longer because of improved health care, medicines, and availability of personal medical assistance personnel. This means elders will need homes that are adaptable to their changing health conditions and abilities for a much longer time period.

Single floor living space is one factor to acquire. Ease of access to the home unit either means ground floor location or elevator building. Building standards should allow for wider doorways and free movement through doorways, into rooms, space to maneuver in bathrooms and kitchens – all the features which allow long-term self care and independent living as long as possible.

Internally the space needs fixtures and cabinetry that is reachable for most people.

Third, livability factors should be considered if the home is to provide motivation for healthy living. Exercise options is one such element, another are views outside the windows. Are the views of nature or architecture? Are views beautiful and stimulating or ugly and stultifying? Does the space resemble a home in its many facets or a prison for a life time sentence?

Fourth, social interaction of residents, both within the home and among a cluster of homes. Are individual interests and social transactions encouraged and supported? Or is the home designed as alone and apart from the normal world?

Fifth, location with respect to other family members. Do the elders have to move to faraway locations where specialized housing is available or climate and low cost land are major factors in pricing and affordability of the homes? Must we plan for our parents and grandparents to live far away from the family core? Do we have the national will and interest to plan our current communities to embrace multiple generations of our citizenry and family members?

There is a sixth factor that I will only mention at this point. It is maintaining the expertise and knowledge of our senior citizen group within and for the benefit of our local community. If we do not plan to include them to live among us, then we must face the fact that they will move elsewhere. Their moving away denies our community of their accumulated wisdom, knowledge and skill sets in running and nurturing our current community. We will feel the pain of this loss irrespective of the emotional loss of their relationships to us.  Then too they will lose feeling useful; their new peer community will be more of a ghetto of like people with the same skills and redundant interests. Not exactly a healthy prescription – for them or for us!

Housing challenges for senior citizens is a national issue of major dimensions. It is an issue that will increasingly define what kind of nation we are and what kind of people are within.

April 2, 2013

Big Issue

There is an issue we all face.  All over the globe this issue exists. For nations with means this issue is managed well. For poor countries this issue is second only to food.

The issue is housing. 

Food, shelter, clothing, health. The four basics. We each strive to provide these things for self and family. All life long.

Because of its basic nature, food is widely available in America. Not so in other places where agriculture is scanty, economics are nearly non-existent, and natural flora and fauna do not provide enough food in nature. Think arid places: Africa, desserts in Asia, cold regions without accessible soil.

Still nations and peoples share their food with those without. Even clothing and medical care are shared for the benefit of the less fortunate. Yet people still starve to death, die naked and suffer medical problems easily managed in wealthier countries.

Housing, however, is another issue. If we were nomadic tribes we would live in portable housing – tents, yurts, teepees, lean-tos – makeshift and simple housing enclosures. To keep the rain off our bodies, to provide safe shelter in which to sleep, to keep warm in cold climes and out of the sun in hot spots.

We aren’t nomads. We don’t live in temporary or portable shelters. Our culture is to develop roots for family in a place we call home. A house or an apartment, a mansion or a tar paper shack; the shelter is thought of as long term. Maybe not permanent but for a chapter of life that is significant to us.

Through life phases we seek homes that fit our needs. Those needs change from when we are single to when we are building family to when we are empty nesters and to when we are retirees and following our journey toward eternity. It would be impractical to live in the same home for an entire lifetime. It would be wasteful.

So we re-use homes for other families for other times in other places. These homes serve useful purpose for changing life phases. They are functional and purposeful.

Comes now the issue of dreams and nurture. These are qualities of life that compound the housing question exponentially. How big is one element. Of what quality is another consideration. Then too is location and why that location is important. All these factors are unique to one person’s life. And his family’s life. And perhaps their place in society?

Yes, housing is a big deal in our culture. A huge industry interconnected with other huge industries addresses these concerns: real estate developers, real estate sales organizations, mortgage providers, banking institutions and their investment in housing and mortgages, investment banking which packages huge dollar packages to fund large numbers of mortgages, investment  brokers – the list goes on. It is this enormous conglomerate of business focused on housing that crashed in 2007 up until today. The conglomerate is still broken; better and more healthy today but still on the mend. Dislocations occurred in the housing market; people lost their homes. Houses were destroyed, vacated, abandoned. Foreclosures continue to grow although slowly. Many homes are empty. Many families are combining their generations to live together, at least temporarily. Not everyone has a home. Not everyone has the home they want. Not everyone can have this want satisfied.

So we have a housing need to start with. With economic troubles we have a larger housing need than we began with. How this plays out in the America of the 2000’s will be interesting to watch. Meanwhile we need to think on this overall issue and manage it for better outcomes for people. And the outcomes need to be affordable and accessible.

Over the next few months I wish to write about this issue in more detail. Bear with me as I feel my way. Perhaps you will find this discussion of interest?

April 1, 2013