I totally forgot what day it was and almost forgot to write out a column! The weather has been stunning and work has been … excitingly overwhelming over for the past few weeks. Like, overwhelming in a good way where you come back to your beautiful home at the end of the day and take a big deep sigh, knowing that all your efforts to help make this town and community the amazing place that it is are so worth it.
Because I love owning my home. Granted, it has changed a lot about how I live my life but it has helped me grow in so many ways that I never expected. There were so many things that I did not understand about life and commitment. Sure, I was a vibrant member of this community but I hadn’t truly bought in. I hadn’t actually made membership in this community my obligation.
And that’s what home ownership has done for me here.
Our founding fathers — oh, I am going there — pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. And isn’t that what we each do when we commit to being a full fledged member of this community? We all pay municipal taxes so that we can invest in our community and each other. We pay state taxes so we can educate our (and everybody else’s) children and drive on roads that connect us. We volunteer at events that help strengthen the bonds of our community and financially support us.
I remember the first day we closed on the house and I stepped foot on my own land for the very first time. My land. Land that would now be my responsibility to hold in trust for future generations. Trees that I would be responsible for ensuring stood strong and proud for decades to come. Plants that I would care for and see reborn every spring. And a field full of weeds that I believe I will fight with for the rest of my life.
But with great responsibility comes … even more responsibility! Over and over again I hear Ski Patrol Director Murray Tuttle yelling at Kramer. “Now with seniority comes something very special … Yes, Kramer the R Word. RE-SPON-SIB-ILITY!!” Something that no ski bum ever really wants, but we end up having as we grow increasingly connected with the mountain and surrounding community.
I moved to Killington to ski everyday and hide away from my responsibilities. But I guess responsibility has a way of creeping up on you.
And so, as a homeowner and resident of Killington, I would like to take this Fourth of July to re-pledge my sacred honor to this community. Even as everything seems really scary, like the world is doing something bizarre that we can’t seem to get a hold of, I know that I have this wonderful community beside me. That we have committed to each other by choosing to live here, choosing to volunteer to build trails or set up tents or something so simple as driving another kid to camp one day or picking up someone’s medication from Rutland.
As I sit here on my front porch, typing as fast as I can, I am reminded why I love these Green Mountains so very, very much. It’s beautiful here. Simply beautiful. With so many different ways to celebrate.
Last evening, we ate dinner on Woodard Reservoir while we watched the sunset. The night before, we sat around a firepit with our neighbors and laughed for hours. Tonight, honestly, I don’t know what we’re doing tonight …
And it is those little things that bind us together. A few hours on the water, a few miles on the trail, and a few hours spent waving a red, white and blue flag while we watch others walk in the parade celebrating our union. Everywhere in the world, in every era, humans have joined together to create a social contract. Although Rousseau gets a little intense with his description and consequences for violating that contract, the idea remains the same. We are always so much better when we all commit to each other. Together we can do great things, like overthrow greedy British kings.
What great things will this community develop over the next few years? Yes, we have a huge village project and an entire road rebuild complete with city water — those are the results of our community’s strength and commitment to each other. We voted to give our neighbors better water. We voted to work together. We voted to commit to each other our very lives and fortunes.
And so I am going to sit here for a few minutes longer, enjoying my home and recommitting myself to doing what is best for me and my fellows. And then I’m going to head to the town office and get to work. Happy Fourth of July, my fellow citizens!
Merisa Sherman is a long time Killington resident, town lister and member of the Development Review Board, local Realtor and Coach PomPom. She can be reached at [email protected].
