|
Written by Jennifer MacMillen
|
|
July 2009 |
I can honestly say that I am happy that the economy is in the state it’s in. Don’t get me wrong; I am feeling it as severely as the rest of the world as advertisers cut back or pull out of the paper altogether. I don’t even have health insurance, for goodness sake! However, I am nonetheless so happy and inspired by the new wealth that is spreading from the inside out. This wealth is generated in our hearts and spirits instead of through externally measured material goods. I’m talking about real wealth—the kind that has real meaning to all humans.
I would venture to say that there is no greater satisfaction than working alongside others for the common good and a common goal and seeing it to fruition. It’s time to scale back our desire to consume and shift our focus on working together to create what we actually need in life—strong family and community networks, healthful food, affordable housing and the freedom to create those necessities as we wish. While we do use money as a medium of exchange in our society, it is really only that—a medium of exchange—once we have the other basics of life taken care of. Imagine how liberating it must feel to not be so dependent on money!
This issue of the Quechee Times has a theme, although not by design. You will notice that in all three cover stories, each of the subjects makes fine examples of hard work and teamwork. Lizzie Freund, a college junior from Quechee, talks about her spectacular semester at sea. What I came away with after reading her piece was how impressed I was that she actually thanked her parents for making possible such an amazing opportunity. I surmised that her parents’ hard work had finally and wonderfully paid off. The other thing that struck me was how enthusiastic and introspective Lizzie was about performing the hard, day-to-day tasks on the sailboat for 90 days. She actually admits to feeling good about it and finding satisfaction and value in doing for others. Now that is heartening!
The main article, Clay Hill Collective, is even more of an example of how real wealth is measured. If these women are any indication of how satisfying and valuable working hard together can be, then we might judge them to be extremely wealthy! The social network they have created through their work among themselves, with their neighbors and with the Upper Valley community at large is enviable. To have such unwavering moral, emotional and economic support in this predominantly “me first” society is truly remarkable. Please read this piece and notice how good it makes you feel. Real wealth in the making!
And, last but not least, read about the Blood family and their business, Blood’s Seafood and Catering. Talk about the value of hard work and working together! The old-fashioned values that founder, Denman (Denny) Blood, employed to start and grow his business surely stood the test of time. Blood’s has been around since 1947 and is now run by Denny’s son, Mike, daughter-in-law, grandson and his wife. The family has learned how to use their complementary strengths to carry on in the family business in a way that would make Denny proud. It is so uplifting and nostalgic at the same time to read about how good, honest, hard work and working for a common goal can really bring out the best in all of us. Congratulations to the Blood family for providing such a visible example of how valuable it is to create wealth in the form of satisfaction for a job well-done. Bloods has happy customers, happy employees and a happy conscience by which to live and grow.
The Quechee Times is distributed to a predominantly financially wealthy audience. With that in mind, I would like to suggest that you count your blessings, not your money, and go seek opportunities to work hard for the common good. You won’t believe how wealthy you will be!
Here’s to our wealth! |
