In this more-than-usual bleak January, it might be an appropriate time to stop and think about some of the good things that happen in our community.
Perhaps everyone could use some sign that things are going to be OK.
Almost all of 2020 and now the beginning of 2021 has been unsettling, to say the least. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, even with the beginning of vaccinations in the NWT, continues to fray nerves, along with the associated economic uncertainty.
And on the international scene, you can throw in an attempted insurrection in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 to rattle everyone. Who knows what will happen today – Jan. 20 – when a new president is to be inaugurated in the United States?
It is a nervous time in Hay River, the NWT and the world.
What can you look to in times like these to feel better?
Well, one place to start might be other people – those who are doing good things to make the world better, bit by bit. In an uncertain world, that is one thing that never changes. There are many people working for the good of the community.
Over the past few weeks, The Hub has told you about some of these people. They are often called volunteers, but they are probably better described as community-minded people.
They don't just stay at home reading books (although reading is good) or watching television (not so good). These people get involved in the community and try to make things a little bit better for everyone.
That is an admirable thing for them to do.
And the really encouraging thing is that there are many of those types of people in Hay River. They are really everywhere.
If you are in need of some reassurance that everything is going to work out fine, you could simply consider the many people making this community a better place to live.
So here are a few of those people for the sake of explaining what this editorial is all about, but there are many others that could be named.
The Hub recently talked to Chuck Lirette at the Hay River Ski Club about the new maintenance garage at the club. The garage – in which biathletes can practise indoors when it's too cold outside – is a perfect example of community-minded people in the club and the business sector joining together to build something valuable for young people involved in sports.
Then there are Wayne and Melissa Korotash, the owners of Hay River Home Hardware, who donated about 225 practice jerseys to minor hockey, and Gary Viziowski, who organized the recent Christmas Bird Count, something he has been doing for many years.
The list could go on and on.
There are many people trying to make this a better community.
They may not know it – probably because they aren't told often enough – but community-minded people are an inspiration to everyone and they provide examples that others can follow.
In these very uncertain times, it really is good to know that those people are out there.