Looking back to see the future

Carrying the weight of the world can mean that we cannot find a way to move forward. Those are general terms, but often, at the beginning of a task, all we can see is the mountain of work instead of the beautiful scenery at the other side of a job well done.  I know that is how it is for me.
When I received an email last week from a lady in Notre-Dame-d'Ile-Perrot asking how Vankleek Hill's Trash and Treasure town-wide yard sale got started and how it is organzed every year, I heaved an inward sigh. At the top of my mind was finding the time to talk to her and second: it reminded me that our event was only a few months away. Looking back at the 10 years we have done this event in Vankleek Hill, I reflected on the work involved and the tips I would pass along to get another such event started in another community.  It is one thing to start something, but quite another when one comes face-to-face with the responsibility of ensuring it continues year after year. I'm good at start-ups, but now refrain from being the starter unless I am prepared to hang in for the long haul. And sometimes: haul it is.
Nonetheless, when I finally did speak to this enthusiastic lady, I quickly became swept away as I touted the benefits of a town-wide yard sale: no cost or risk for those holding yard sales, lots of buyers in town, a great opportunity for community groups to raise funds, a chance for hot dog barbecues, bake sales, plant sales and a real sense of community as nearly everyone sets aside this day to participate in one form or another, even going so far as to invite friends and neighbours to town to sell their stuff, too.  As I waxed eloquent about our community, I dared to bask in how far we have come in the past decade or so and I have to say, it was a welcome break from the lengthy if-only, why-can't-we, when-will-we, we-should list that usually runs on the treadmill in my mind.
In the past 10 years, our town has become more firmly entrenched in the minds of people from near and far as a place "where there is always something going on."
During the past two decades that I have headed this business, I can recall murals being painted, new street signs, new signs at the entrance to Vankleek Hill (both municipal ones and signs installed by the merchant association). Just last year, Victorian street lamps were installed, benches appeared along the town's Main Street. There are welcome banners for our business section. We have a tourist information office open every summer in our recently-opened museum and the Higginson Tower ready to receive visitors. Beau's Brewery is an established tourist attraction with more than 2,500 fans on facebook!
We have more than a dozen new businesses and several prominent buildings restored to their historic glory (The Review is just one of these).
Ten years ago, a new VCI was a lost cause but today, we know that it will be completed in 2011, six months ahead of schedule. An expansion is underway at École St-Grégoire. The community recently kicked in more than $60,000 to expand the Vankleek Hill Community Centre. Last year, a splash pad was installed at Mill Street Park. The library has undergone a transformation and continues to expand its services. While the loss of the religious presence at the convent is to be mourned, an entrepreneur has grabbed the reins, purchasing the building to create an inn and spa.
Real estate moves quickly here. In the past two decades, the Vankleek Hill Fair has remained a solid and well-managed agricultural event (a new hall and other improvements have been successful) while newer events (too many to mention) take place on a regular basis in Vankleek Hill. For years now, the dates for the cornerstone events are set by January of that year at the latest. We are organized.
Plants have expanded in our industrial park, soon to be renamed a business park. New business owners have come to town and new businesses have opened their doors here in the past decade or so. Our main grocery store -  almost lost, was saved by 18 local entrepreneurs and was ultimately sold so that it is now open late daily, a surprising convenience for a small town.
These were just a few of the thoughts I had after my energizing conversation about Trash and Treasure. The lady thanked me for sharing how-to advice and said she had taken several pages of notes.
In the end, I didn't regret the time that it took to speak with her.
In my own way, I, too, had stopped to take note of where we had been and and that lead me to reflect on all that the people in our community have accomplished in the past few decades of our history. I am sure you are reading this, thinking of the improvements and new projects undertaken in your circle of contacts.
It reminds me that sometimes, inspiration can come from the past and that each of us should not underestimate the impact of our actions, none of which take place in isolation in a small town.
Being involved isn't really a burden, I decided. Instead, I think how fortunate we are to be able jump in and know that participation, volunteering and change can be only one phone call - one idea - or one yes! away.