A Choice to Make

Well, my common sense tells me to keep my mouth shut, don't get dragged into it. Yet my love for this town pushes me to say something about what I'm feeling. And for better or worse, the heart usually wins out.

I'm starting to feel embarassed to be from Ashfield. I don't like that feeling. For well over half a year friends and acquaintances from out of town and even people I don't know ask me "So, what's going on NOW in Ashfield?" I'm never sure exactly what to say in response to their questions. One thing I do see going on in town is the division of townspeople into 'born heres' and 'from aways'. Which group you are from can then lead to what your opinion is about a certain issue(s) in town.

I find myself and a few others in a third group. I'm 'from away', moving here at the age of 22. I wanted to farm and grow apples. I didn't want to change the town, I liked it just the way it was. My children were born here. A lot of the children of the 'born heres' have moved away from town. This is true in all the hilltowns (and beyond). Many others have moved into town over the years--some of these people stayed and others didn't.

In 33 years I've seen a lot of different turmoils in town. And you know what? We survived all of them. The sewer, the town park, the water company, the old Sanderson, the new Sanderson, the solar-aquatic greenhouse, the spring flood of '87, the sidewalks (and curbs), the new town garage, the Town Hall renovations, the common, the resevoir/wells, the ice storm of '08 and on and on. Some turmoils probably escape my memory. We survived these issues because of old Yankee values. The values of tolerance, acceptance, and respect for each other. Countless folks have given of themselves in order to 'do their part', be it in town government, the emergency services, the girl scouts and boy scouts, baseball and soccer, the snowmobile club, rebuilding the town hall steeple, the food pantry, the preschool, or simply neighbor helping neighbor, family helping family.

Through all these events Ashfield remains a damn good place to live, to raise a family, to work or run a business, to grow old. This town really is quite a melting pot in 2010. And isn't that what America really is--a melting pot of diversity? Our town has so much to offer. A place where a person can get involved in so many different things. A place where a person can live and just be left alone. Or anywhere in between.

As I see it, we townspeople have a choice to make. We can continue to point fingers, place blame, and show lack of respect for each other. Or we can regroup and remember why we live here, acknowledge our mistakes, learn from them, and move on. I talk with a lot of different people in town and I get a sense that a lot of people want to move on, a lot of people want to get back once again to what we love about this town. It is my hope that we can do just that.

One last thing. Anybody want to bet on when the ice will come out of the lake this year?

Alan Surprenant
Apple Valley Road