Life Is Good Here In Lantzville

I was scrolling through all my blog posts last night.  It makes for a discouraging exercise  – in my opinion.

How did things get to this point in our dear town? 

But as frustrating, discouraging, and maddening as this can all be, and as much as I have written about these “issues”, I think it is equally important to reflect on the positives.  Overall, life is really quite good where we live. 

I’d like to lighten up on this post and offer my perspective on what is good about life in Lantzville.

From a global perspective:

• If you are reading this post, you belong to 1/3 of the world who can read.  67% of the world is illiterate.

• If you ate breakfast this morning you are better off than the 800 million people worldwide who will go hungry today

• If you have a nice roof over your head, you belong to a group of only 20% in the world who does.  80% of the world lives in substandard housing. 

• If you have electricity you are more fortunate that 24% of the world who does not. 

• If you have a college education, you belong to a group of only 1% worldwide who does.

• If you accessed this post via the internet, you are part of 7% of the world who is connected to the web.  

• If you have never experienced a war, a loneliness of an imprisonment, torture or a famine, you are happier, than 500 million persons in this world. 

•  If you have a bank account, money in your purse or wallet, you belong to 8% of well-provided people in this world.

• If there is a meal in your refrigerator, if you are dressed and have shoes, if you have a bed and a roof above your head, you are better off, than 75% of people in this world.

I'd like to offer my highlights of Lantzville in particular:

1)  I like how I can hop on my bike, and in ten minutes:

•  be playing at a number of playgrounds

• be at the local school

• be at my dentist, doctor, or accountant.

• be eating ice cream from the local store

• be walking in the forest

• be throwing rocks into the ocean with my kids

2)  I love that I built a house beside the very house that my parents built themselves, together, in
    1977.  

3)  I love how I am now coaching my son soccer in the same gym my parents coached me
     soccer in some 30 years ago. 

4)  I love how Seaview School stills smells exactly like I remember it as a kid.

5) I love the community events. 

• Minetown day and the Halloween fireworks were highlights for me growing up, and these have become highlights for my kids. 

• Breakfast with Santa by the Rotary club is also a big draw for the kiddos.

There is a great bunch of community organizations in this town.  Groups that are part of the
fabric of what Lantzville is. 

I love how I can go to one of these events, recognize and chat with dozens of people.

6)  I love how I still see and have conversations with folks who I delivered papers to or baby sat
     for as a teenager.


7)  Outside of baby sitting and a paper route, my first real job was working for Ron Doumont at R&R Welding, in the Lantzville Industrial Park. It was a 5 minute bike ride from my house.  It was a great experience and character builder for a 16 year old.  I did everything from sweeping the shop, helping cut fabrication pieces, to helping split firewood for Ron’s home.  I weighed about 80 lbs back then so you can imagine splitting firewood was not a real strength for me.  Ron would give me a rough time in the morning for being terrible at splitting wood.  He would then show up in the afternoon, hand me a creamsicle and tell me I was the best employee he ever had.  I still have fond memories driving by the industrial park due to those experiences from over 25 years ago.

 Yes - this is a great place to live ....