Ghost of Midnight

Best of FPF: Be Better in Mud Season

Sean shared some reflections on the Weathersfield Forum. We think they’re well worth a share:

“Speaking at last week’s Weathersfield Selectboard meeting, our Highway Superintendent asked people to take it easy on the back roads when we can. Ray’s main advice was, stay off your ‘short cut’ roads for now. Leave them for the folks who live there.

“I think my priest calls this kind of thing an opportunity. An opportunity to be better in mud season. Be a better neighbor, save the town some money on gravel.

“During that same Selectboard meeting I also began to reflect on Ray’s advice in another way: that it could guide our treatment of each other in this time. Maybe we’re in a mud season of life right now. A lot of communities and our governments are showing wear, just like those roads Ray was talking about.

“One approach is to bull through things. I’ve hurt my share of cars, that way.

“We have elected our local leaders to do a lot of work for us, without pay. They’re on this same muddy mess of a road that we’re all on. We just sent Town and School budgets back to them, and they have to make new plans. As for whether you like your leaders or not, or the road we’re on – well, we know all about that too. But we do elect these boards; they are us, and here we are.

“I hope we can support our elected leaders to do their best. I appreciate their willingness to serve.”