Mark Twain was purported to have once said, “When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in just seven years.”
I share that because I’ve started to notice I’m beginning to think like my parents. No doubt my family agrees. I find myself remembering the old days, and questioning whether the changes we see in our community and world are truly good or right.
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One of those is what has become the meaning of Christmas (I can picture my kids rolling their eyes right now). To be clear, I am Catholic through and through, and the meaning of Christmas is first and foremost remembering the birth of Jesus and what that means for humanity.
Yet, growing up Christmas to me was always a time to relax and focus on family and friends, and embrace the blessings we enjoy.
Today, Christmas seems to mean stressed-out shoppers, anxious parents and people focused on their own wish list. Every year I feel a greater shift of focus from “us” toward “I” during the holiday season.
So today, I’d like to refocus our attention back to “us” and offer a holiday wish list for our community. In the coming year, I hope our community:
- Welcomes our new City Manager Richard Spitzka and any other new public leaders and their families to our community with open arms. We are grateful they have stepped up to lead our community into the future.
- Respects those who choose to serve the public as elected or public officials. That includes public officials we may disagree with. Public service is a sacrifice. We should honor that type of commitment to our region.
- Shops (and buys) local. During the pandemic, our organization was lucky enough to work with many of our local small businesses. Their commitment to Bemidji really matters. We should thank them by shopping local when possible, not online.
- Continues to invest in downtown Bemidji. Downtown is the heartbeat of our community. We have so many who have put their time and money into building our vibrant downtown. Thank you! As they say, it’s everyone’s downtown.
- Supports our educational institutions. Bemidji State University’s challenges and those of Northwest Technical College, have been well documented over the past few years. Both, along with the Bemidji school district, are critical to the long-term success of our community. We need to think of ways to support them.
- Moves forward on the development of the wellness center. I have shared all the reasons why the wellness center development is so critical to our region. Simply put, our community has waited a long time — and it is time for a solution.
- Supports efforts to increase the workforce in our region. Economic development is a race for workers and talent. We need to do all we can to open the doors of opportunity for our fellow workers. That includes investing in child care, workforce housing and transportation solutions — all of which prevent potential workers from entering the workforce.
- Focuses on what we have in common, not our differences. Shared values unite a community. Focusing on differences and disagreements divides it. We have so much in common — the things we desire for our family, our neighborhood and our community tend to transcend age, race, gender, etc. I hope we can focus and build on those things that we share in common.
- Lives as one community in the truest sense of the word. One community means maintaining a steward-like focus on our community’s future well-being. It means working together. It also means that when we disagree, we do so with respect. It avoids character assassinations and honors those who are working to move our community forward.
That’s what I wish for our community in the coming years. These are the things that I hope we can all embrace for our region.
I want to be clear however that I believe we live in a truly wonderful place. I am grateful to be a part of this community — a community that has shown time and time again to be committed to ensuring our long-term success and well-being. I am truly proud to live, work and raise a family here.
Happy holidays to each and every one of you. May this holiday season move our focus back to “us” and remind us all there is something bigger — and more important — than ourselves. That’s what living in community is all about.
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Dave Hengel is the executive director of Greater Bemidji Economic Development. He can be reached at (218) 444-5757 or dhengel@greaterbemidji.com.
The Trust Project
