-Isms: Views on life in rural America

One of my favorite play scripts is “First Night” by Jack Neary. In it, Danny Fleming, a video store clerk, sees his eighth-grade crush, Meredith O’Connor (who is now a nun), enter the store. What ensues is a roller coaster of emotions from puppy love to midlife angst.

The play answers questions: Does he still love her? Is she in love with him? After 20 years, will she leave the convent to build a life with the man of her dreams?

The best line first comes from Danny, talking about Meredith.

“She had “P” ... potential.”

Trust me, I’ve used that line multiple times since I produced that little piece of theatrical magic. We tend to look for the best possibilities and goodness in others, the opportunities that exist if and when someone or something realizes potential.

After reading something from Jeff Siegler, one of my favorite authorities on civic pride and community revitalization, I’m reconsidering the use of the “P” word.

While working with a community, Siegler was asked to comment on the town’s downtown aesthetics, which he said were less than desirable: empty storefronts, rundown buildings, atrocious infrastructure.

He could see the potential and pointed out ideas for improvement. Residents weren’t having it. An individual at the meeting responded potential gives residents an easy pass to accept mediocrity as status quo. After thinking about the word, he agrees that when it comes to community revitalization, we need to put potential aside.

“When someone says your town has potential, what they are really saying is, you aren’t living up to your promise. They are saying this can and should be better but for lack of effort. Potential is just another way to cultivate and justify apathy. It doesn’t matter in the least what your town could be, what matters is what your town actually is. What matters is the actions you are taking to improve. Every day you sit back and talk about the potential of your town is another day wasted not realizing it,” Siegler writes.

That hit home, especially since several of our Summerland communities are involved in the downtown revitalization process. We can hope and dream all we want. But, until we take action, make baby steps or giant leaps, nothing will change.

Should we be satisfied with the status quo? Hell no. Community members need to be involved in the processes that drive change. Right now, we need to learn to prioritize for the long term.

Communities and downtown districts that thrive have a strong feeling of pride and offer an invitation to sit a spell, get comfy and soak in the positive vibes.

Should we begin building that type of future for our communities? Absolutely. So scoot over, potential, and let action have its rightful place at the table. If we don’t start today, when?