Even a deep well of patience can run dry
Posted 7/1/1998 12:00:00 AM
STORY INDEX
Friday, May 9, 1997
Some thoughts while stripping a basement:
We are not what we own.
If we were, we'd all be much less than we were a month ago - and eachof us knows we are stronger, more generous and more patient than we were.
Patience is not inexhaustible.
The mood in our town is getting testier as junk piles up on our bermsand we learn it will take weeks to get attention from an electrician.
Our cities need to do something about both of these situations. Whateverlimits have been imposed on haulers and electricians must be re-examined.
Not knowing is the worst thing.
We all learned this while the floodwaters were rising, and the truthhasn't changed. It's good the cities have defined what areas must be clearedfor a floodway. There'll be controversy about the proposal, of course.That's healthy. At least now we have something to react to.
We all want answers, and we want the answers to be consistent and fair.Above all, we want the talk to be plain. Frustration with formal answersand bureaucratic jargon is on the rise - and contributes to a feeling ofimpatience and alienation our cities can't afford.
Someone - Mayors Stauss and Owens, perhaps - needs to deliver a lessonin courtesy and plain talk to every officer of every government agencyin town. The vast majority of them are doing heroic work, but there area few of the other kind.
Humor helps.
All over town, wags have attached signs to their piles of garbage, orthey've arranged things in a way that brings a little smile. Or, they'vemade up jokes to share with one another. One of the new ones suggests anew state motto. It would be, ``North Dakota: Land of four-season disasters(Blizzard, flood, drought and poor hunting).''
It's not true, of course, but it's worth a smile.
We get by with a little help from our friends.
All across the towns, friendships are cemented by working together,and new friendships are made when people reach out to help one another.
Charity is real.
The Red Cross truck came by with a woman from West Virginia and a manfrom New York. They offered hot drinks, a hot meal, snacks and a littleconversation - every bit of it financed by people who probably never gaveus a thought before our flood.
Neighborhoods matter.
People who happen to live in adjacent houses have become neighbors,concerned for each other and ready to offer help.
Grand Forks and East Grand Forks have always had strong neighborhoods.The flood has made them stronger.
We're all in it together.
No one among us can wonder, ``Why me, Lord.'' In this flood, it's notyou and me. It's all of us. Together.