Life

Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans, or so
Beatle John Lennon sang in a song once. Oprah Winfrey probably said
it too on her TV show and Abe Lincoln might have been the first to
say it. Or was that another president?
No matter who said it, it bears repeating as we all scatter
about making summer schedules, setting vacation dates and trying to
figure out how to keep kids busy until school starts again.
With all our individual and family lives overfilled with daily
chores, high-maintenance lifestyles and a challenging economy, we
would do well to pause during these first days of summer 2010 and
complete a well thought-out plan. Otherwise, we’ll be looking back
in a couple of weeks and wonder where our summer went. First should
come picking the best dates and destination for a summer getaway.
We all deserve one and, unfortunately, lots of us have extra time
because we have less work, maybe a slow business or a government
job furlough.
With the bad economy, high unemployment, pricey gasoline and
maybe extra credit card bills, more of us will be making plans to
stay closer to home this summer. But in Sonoma County, that’s not a
bad thing. We have ocean beach picnicking, river and lake kayaking,
mountain and redwood forest hikes, back roads bicycling and
excursions around our Wine Country and small town squares. Why
can’t we take one summer without the crowds at Disneyland or
Yosemite? Exploring Sonoma County is not a bad plan. Just ask the
hundreds of thousands of tourists who keep coming here every
year.
Part of our plans should include protecting what we enjoy so
much throughout the year. Wildfire safety is always a crucial
reminder as the days get longer, the sun gets hotter and our golden
grasses get drier. Did you plan your “defensible boundary” around
your house and property? Remember to mow or plough a perimeter
around your shelter and vulnerable property and utility lines. A
courtesy check around your neighborhood for any property owners
that need a helpful reminder might go appreciated, too.
Lots of summer plans will include swimming, surf play and
kayaking so water safety is another item that needs to be on
everyone’s summer plan. Due to ongoing and worsening local
government cuts, our rivers, beaches and lakes will not have as
many lifeguards and services as usual. Never swim alone. Never turn
your back on the ocean. Don’t take your eyes off small children
near water and never assume our Russian River is as tame and gentle
as it appears.
While some of us will have extra time away from work and other
duties, others will be faced with some extra and undesirable work.
Most elected officials will be putting in overtime hours trying to
balance budgets, wrapping up tough labor negotiations and plodding
forward into continued poor economic times. Schools are closed for
students and most teachers now, but next fall’s classroom sizes,
assignments and programs are still being juggled. The school year
2010-11 will open by mid-August and for many promises to be the
shortest year in history, with districts reducing total instruction
days to save money. Taxpayers might appreciate the savings, but
teachers won’t like the smaller paychecks. The same budget tight
wire is being walked by county and other government workers faced
with furloughs, job position cuts and payroll “freezes.”
Nobody likes the financial sacrifices we all have to absorb
until our overall economy makes a health rebound – and it will –
but we can do better planning right now to make the best of things.
That’s why we invented summer vacations in the first place isn’t
it?
— Rollie Atkinson