Do The Small Things Impact The Big Picture?
The small things can make such a difference in a community (photo Don Hubbard)
Editors Note: The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are not necessarily the views or opinions of Osky News.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – What is a community? It is loosely defined as a group of people living together in the same general area sharing government and religious and cultural similarities. Our home is within our community.
Recently, our quest to bring you local news has helped me see the pride that many people express in their community. Our people sacrifice their time for their community as either historians, volunteering, serving on a commission or board; all in the sake of helping to make the place they call home, their community, just a little bit better.
I have learned by being part of my community, and in doing so my desire to make my community better has grown over time. I also learned that even those who might have “money” or “power” take pride in their community. A striking example of this happened while waiting for a story one afternoon. A couple walked by our vehicle. This person noticed some garbage laying around on the sidewalk, and he quickly bent down and picked it up. Then he noticed some more, and he quickly gathered all those up as well, disposing of them in the garbage can.
You may say that is nice, but believe me when you notice a person who is a community leader take the time to stop and throw some garbage away that was just blowing around the street, you learn that for many of these people, pride in their community is a real driving factor for them.
In this day and age, finding the time to help out is difficult at best. That one act by one person made little difference in the grand scheme of things, but it taught me it’s not only the big things, but also the little ones that can and do make Oskaloosa what it is.
I was out of state when Oskaloosa lost their Football game, but something stood out to me: the amount of pride the community took in their team. That might seem shallow until you understand that so many were proud of them for playing with integrity and left the field with their heads held high as a community stood with them.
My challenge is to find a way that I can make a difference in my community. Not thinking it’s under me to pick up that litter, or help a neighbor. When we start to add up all those little things, it will become apparent how far we have come and how much more we will be able to accomplish.
