We Owls have a pleasant time coasting along in our little Limestone County. We see things. We remember. For instance, have you noticed how good things really are? Really. Stay with me here, because we are a crowd prone to complain a lot. But then, that’s human nature.

Seldom do we stop to think that for the first time we can now access information about all the problems of the world. Our average American working stiff is better informed today than any king in medieval times. We know more about the world, in a timely way, than even our grandparents could dream of. Look Magazine, a mid-century powerhouse, was so-named because for the first time people could see actual pictures of events happening on other continents after only a short day or two.

Today we see things instantly. And if our planet seems beset by woes, it is because we tend to only read about bad things.The Big Bad Wolf is the main character in most stories because who wants to read about the Goldilocks who went home, got in bed and fell asleep?

Look around. We can visit our town square anytime. Our money is good at any store and we can bring our purchase back if there’s something wrong with what we bought. Restaurants of all sizes and types are controlled by rules carefully regulated and checked by health professionals. Woe betide even a popular restaurant if their numbers don’t look good to a customer.

The very food we buy in stores is inspected carefully, because no one wants salmonella or food poisoning. We can set up appointments to talk to any of our elected representatives whenever we want. If you notice, there are even offices locally for those who represent us in Washington. In short, you can take your complaints to whoever can get something done about them. Local problems can be called in or you can visit the county commissioner or city council representative who is delegated to your district.

Laws are created to help us get along better. Which side of the road do we drive on? Good that we all know the answer to that one. To show we care about those coming after us, we have legal limits on the time and place you can fish and hunt. As fishermen have known for years, fish are not eternal unless their populations are cared for. We who want to teach our grandkids how to fish want them to have something to catch when they grow up. So, we pass regulations and laws to protect fish populations here. The water they swim in is protected, and when violated, the polluters are cited. You can only blast animals in forests at certain times. And, to protect people, we have training opportunities for those who are using a weapon for the first time or relearning upon a new firearm.

No one wants anyone who lives among us not to share at least some of the good our land and rivers have provided. For that reason, we have organizations such as Limestone County Churches Involved where for emergencies our fellow countians can get help with bills and food.

What I find most agreeable is how every good idea can find a listener in a position to do something about it. Recently our Pryor Field hosted an air show, the better to introduce our community to their new aviation presence which will soon be a true regional air hub. Publicity for such events can be read about in a local free press, such as you are reading now. If your event is not covered, you yourself can write in a letter to the editor or post a notice in the paper.

Our court system has drawn upon all of us to participate. Fellow Limestonians have answered the call to jury duty on both mundane and serious cases.

We have excellent medical facilities which, aided by crack emergency first response teams, assure our ill and injured are treated quickly. In a crisis, every second really counts. We need to find ways to make such professional health care available to everyone. For that same reason, some of our finest fellow citizens fill our police and sheriff’s ranks. We need to pay our professionals what they are worth.

We all know things can be better. There are peaceful ways to do that. Concrete measures have assigned people to take care of them. We must remember we’re all in this together. Let’s help one another and try to involve everyone. No one should be left out of the goodness we can develop and find here.

We all know about owls, they like to find concerns to be resolved. We also know there are proper ways of taking care of those issues. We have many avenues to pursue in order to right wrongs, but most of those paths begin with a basic understanding.

Owls always assume at the beginning the other guy is doing what he thinks is right. If you begin there, discussion can follow. Blocking off communication is a red flag which leaves you guessing what to do next. Working together has brought us this far. Involving even more fellow countians, their skills, ideas and dreams will make this county even better for those who follow after us.