The glass is more than half full!!!! Wellsville, New York is a wonderful place
to live, an idyllic place to raise a family, and one of the few places were quality
prevails over quantity. Wellsville's not a place for eager corporate 'movers and
shakers' or those who adore urban sprawl and traffic jams. Its a place for
people who are looking to suck the juice out of life and not have life suck them
dry. Like famous local philosopher Luke Larkin often says...."we are living in
the garden".
Some of you are scratching your heads and thinking that maybe Luke is
painting a little to rosy of a picture. 'The Garden'? You only have to look at
what we have here from the perspective of an invisible UFO hovering over our
valley watching us. Think of the things they would see from above!!! A
picturesque river valley town with sleepy side streets, large green areas, a
postcard downtown, rolling hills surrounding. Hot air balloon festivals, Main
Street parades, outdoor concerts and festivals, little league baseball, family's in
the back yard, the smell of Texas Hots in the air. Take a step back and look
at what we have compared to 99% of the people on our planet. Luke's
right...we are living in a garden and we should be amazed and grateful for
being a part of Wellsville New York 14895.
It's easy to complain about the down side of living in a small town like
Wellsville and to the naysayers I say pretend to move away. Do the your
problems disappear? Will your quality of life really improve? Will the grass
be greener on that other side? I can't list one social problem systemic to
Wellsville and from my time on this earth you won't find a less complicated
place to live. Our little town provides the unique opportunity to live a life busy
with commerce and social events. It also is a the perfect place to live a quieter
life, as simple as you'd like. Should you desire higher culture, or more active
nightlife, or fine Thai cuisine you rarely have to travel more than an hour from
home. We are lucky to have modern health care, education, and technology
in our backyard. The cost of living is relatively low which off sets our low
average earnings. Our social services and community networks are strong,
violent crime is rare, the weather is temperate and stable. Looking around our
country, and especially around our world, I think we are looking at a glass
that's much more than half full.
The best news is that Wellsville is only becoming a better place to live and
breath!!! Think about the trends that have begun only recently. Art and
music and education are becoming center pieces of our community. Our
schools are being modernized, our downtown is bustling while most small
village commerce has gone the way of the buffalo. Our local industry has
stabilized and technology has allowed us to work globally while never leaving
the county. We are using our natural resources to create great community
based events like The Wellsville Fishing Derby, The Wellsville Music Festival,
and Ridgewalk & Run.
We are living in the garden. From natural beauty to supportive
neighbors, from good food to nationally regarded music, we have alot to be
thankful for.
This is a continuation of a column concept that our local newspaper man
started but never really developed. I being one of Wellsvilles "long time" locals
and big fans am going to continue the concept.....and maybe even make it in the
newspaper once in a while talking about why Wellsville is really a place to be
grateful for....