Our community never ceases to amaze us.
Usually that amazement is for the good, but — especially around elections and political issues — it can also be for the bad and the ugly.
Last weekend, we again had the pleasure of celebrating our area’s graduates alongside their families and friends, with the event one of several during a season of celebrating hard work and achievement.
And, like every year, we were pleased with the wisdom, kindness and grit these students have built and shown despite only being on the cusp of adulthood.
And those events were yet more examples that wonderful things can be accomplished when people come together — leap together — with a common goal instead of solely focusing on themselves.
We’ve also been pleased by the county’s recent string of community forums, which have offered a great opportunity for residents to speak with county elected officials and staff about issues in a respectful atmosphere aimed at understanding, information and determining solutions to better our county.
If we want our community to continue to be be healthy, vibrant and welcoming, it’s going to take supporting each other and showing respect for one another as we work together to understand the facts and find solutions.
We’ve before compared our community to a rich tapestry that is woven with all sorts of threads — some small, some shiny, some seemingly invisible but full of strength.
Some of these threads work quietly as a part of the whole, lifting others up so they can shine, and others provide embellishment.
And it takes every single one to be what we are together.
Our community would be nothing close to what it is today if not for the mix of backgrounds, experiences, beliefs and lifestyles it holds and has held throughout time.
And it’s important to recognize that each is part of our tapestry. Having every thread be the same would be nothing close to as beautiful as what’s been created and can be created.
As we head into election season and the season where Pagosa Country will feature event after event, it’s important that we remember we have choices.
We can choose to discuss politics or not.
We can choose to vote for a candidate because we agree with the reasoning of a spouse, parent, friend or neighbor who suggests they’re the best, or we can disagree and vote for someone we deem a better fit given our own experiences.
We can attend local events to support the people and causes and because they sound like fun, or we can choose to skip out when it might not be our style or a cause we don’t support or aren’t passionate about.
We can also choose to learn more about other perspectives.
A couple things we’re always in favor of choosing are respect and kindness.
We can choose to be respectful in conversations, whether we agree with the person about everything or about nothing.
We can choose to be kind.
As J.M. Barrie said, “Always be a little kinder than necessary.”
Randi Pierce
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