Newly Appreciates
Neighborly Care

I would like to start out by writing that I have been a life long resident of Vermont. I was born in Bennington and was raised in the Randolph area.

I grew up reading the Herald (White River Valley Herald), learning about the community, seeing first hand how tight-knit and family-oriented my neighbors are! At times, in my high school days, I even wrote to the editor expressing my appreciation for family oriented articles written in The Herald.

As an adult, once again, I find myself compelled to express my gratitude for the place that I live.

This spring my family went to visit relatives who live in a large city in the south. On our trip we experienced much cultural shock. It seems that in large cities there are so many people that it’s easy to become desensitized.

We saw several accidents in which people were injured, with at least one of these causing the people involved to sustain major injuries. It was to my great surprise that motorists not involved would speed around the accident scene, trying to keep up with their busy schedule, not slowing down or stopping in an attempt to help the situation. In some of the accident situations traffic would have to be stopped: it was too dangerous to let traffic through. In this kind of situation there were angry drivers who would commence to honk their horns and try to get around the accident. Of course this was very stressful to me.

A few weeks after returning home (which was last week), we were driving through our town when we came upon an accident. The traffic was stopped, everyone remained calm and the motorists even asked each other if they knew what happened and if anyone was injured. You see, we realized that we probably knew who was in the accident and were very concerned for their safety.

I realized as I saw in line, patiently waiting for my neighbor to receive the best possible care, that I truly am blessed to live in such a special place! Maybe we’re not "up with the times," but I can see that the slower pace and smaller community has proved to be happier, calmer, and more loving.

Lastly, I’d like to express my heart-felt appreciation to the "helpers." To me, these have been the police, the ambulance, the fire department, the car towing services, and the concerned neighbors—including the Herald. I guess sometimes it takes a trip away from home to learn about the rich, abundant culture that you call home!

Rita Peck

Chelsea

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