Normal People Need Not Apply
by Ken Graham
A friend and I once sat down with pencil and paper and tried to make a list of all the people we knew that we would consider "normal". We couldn't do it. Since we agreed not to include ourselves on the list, the paper remained blank and the pencil unused. Every single person we named (and we named a lot) had some odd quirk or characteristic that disqualified him or her from being a truly normal person. Try it sometime – I'm sure you'll get the same result.
Now I know that some people reading this will no doubt assume that theirs was among the names considered. Before you pick up the phone, let me assure you that many of those "odd quirks and characteristics" were good and positive things (and in your case that's undoubtedly true). And, if you think about it, who wants to be normal?
One of the things that immediately disqualified a person from our "normal list" was the act of volunteering many hours on a project to help their community. Most people don't do this. Even in Dayton, the majority of people here don't get heavily involved in community activities. And, in many cases, it's totally understandable. Families and work come first, and for many, those take up all the energy they can muster.
Our area is fortunate, however, to have many people who spend an "abnormal" amount of time and effort working to help their communities. Dayton's court house, depot and theater, and many other buildings in our communities, would all be worn out wrecks (or completely gone) if it weren't for the thousands of volunteer hours spent to make them what they are. People here volunteer thousands of hours more helping at the schools and with 4H and the many community events that are held here. Many more hours are devoted to projects which help economic development. And don't forget all of the people who help through Kiwanis and Lions and the many churches around here.
Even though I personally disagree with them, I applaud the dedication and the sacrifice of time and energy of those who oppose development of wind energy projects here. It's a cause they believe in passionately, and they too have a vision for making ours a better community.
The point of all this is that the work isn't finished. As you read through this issue of Blue Mountain News, you'll run across several mentions of areas where work is needed in our communities. Here are some of those, and some others:
• The City of Dayton Planning Commission has three vacant positions
• Dayton's Historic Preservation Commission also has a vacant position
• The Waitsburg Economic Development Committee is seeking help in its efforts
to promote Waitsburg's downtown.
• The Blue Mountain Heritage Society is looking for new members and for help in
moving the Smith Hollow School to Dayton
• Dayton Elementary School is looking for people to help in their volunteer
reading program for younger students.
There are undoubtedly many other spots where your help is badly needed.
Beginning with our January issue, we will include a "Help Needed" section in Blue Mountain News. Here, those working with non-profit community and government organizations that are seeking volunteers can tell community members what kinds of help are needed. If you have a position that you'd like included, you can reach us through the contact information on Page 3.
During the coming holidays, maybe you should think about just one new way you could help out next year. One of the amazing things you'll find out when you get involved as a volunteer is that it's fun not being normal. You'll meet and spend time with lots of other non-normal people and they're the most interesting.
So if your goal is to be "normal", then stay home, hit the couch and flip on the tube. But if you want to be different, and have fun doing it, go out and be a volunteer. Your community needs you.
Copyright (c) 2007, Blue Mountain News