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On The Bricks

April 30, 2019

This month has been filled with blessings. Over 750 volunteer hours reported in and who knows how many done without me knowing. It is daunting. It is glorious. To have so many people willing to give time just to make their community look better, just to have some pride in our town, is amazing.

But through the month, checking places that need cleaned up, checking them after a crew goes to them, my eye started being drawn to trash. Yes, I noticed the water bottle that someone tossed out or it blew out of the back of a pick up. Yes, I wondered why the shop owner didn’t take those 20 steps and lean over and toss it. Yes, I found myself being a little critical at times.

Last Saturday, after handing out vests and trash bags and talking about places to go and clean – up, I drove to Goodwell to watch the OPSU Aggie baseball team win their last home game of the season. The weather was perfect. The company sitting by me on the bleachers was interesting. It was a great day. My mind was filled with happy thoughts, my face had a smile.

Then I drove on home and as I approached my house, the community clean – up trash filled mind came back. I saw it. My house was one of those that I wondered why someone didn’t take the time to mowed. Yeah, it was me.

Those moments are just harsh. They make us remember that there are times we do and are the very thing that we are working against. So, I got my rear end in gear and got a check to who does my lawn. The very day, I lawn was mowed and I had a lesson.

When we’re feeling critical, we might need to take a moment and consider our own story.

And while we’re talking about trashy stories, let me share a few.

A group of high school kids, under the leadership of Teri Mora, had two hours set aside for clean – up. They divided up and went to several areas. If they finished before quitting time, 11 am, then they went to the area behind Wall’s. That hill catches all sorts of trash. We have lots of wind and much of it deposits trash there on that hill.

At 11, the crew leader called out that it was quitting time. Most of the kids said they would leave when the job was done. And they stayed another 20 minutes and finished the job.

Those are the kids that I want to hire. They are the ones I want on my team. This work ethic why there are times we see greatness in our town.

How about the fact that my mom and her husband, 81 – years – old and over 85 – years – old, came and got trash bags and picked up trash on Highway 136 south. That can make a person feel guilty for not getting of their duff for an hour.

And Evlyn Schmidt, a retired librarian who came in with three different groups and picked up trash. Or maybe it was four groups. Anyway, she put in a lot of Main Street Guymon time in April.

What a great month. Over 750 hours have been turned in thus far on community clean – up and I know there were a lot of other people who did the work but didn’t feel inclined to tell me. There were businesses that paid their employees to do some of this community service. There were others that did the work on their property that needed done. What it amounts to, no matter how it got done, things are looking better around here!

Take a walk around your place and see how it looks. Tell those you saw working at it that they did a good job. And thank you to all of you. You make me proud.

And remember, the wind blew since we picked up trash, so some has been rearranged. Let’s not wait until the September Community Clean – Up to pick it up!

While you’re on the bricks, take a look at RC Party and More’s building façade at 5th and Main. Looking good. Looking good.

See you on the bricks!