All That's Fit to Print

2055. If you were part of the focus groups this weekend, you might be reeling with the possibilities of the project. If you weren't, it might mean nothing more than an ad in the newspaper and a banner across a city street.

If you are Charles and Catherine Rice, who are funding the initiative, it might be a dream and a belief that their foundation can make a difference in the lives of Early Countians, present and future.

Wherever you stand with 2055, the idea that an effort needs to be made to strengthen our economy, to help Early County continue to be a good place to be a child, to raise a family, to grow old, is a good one.

We are our community. We are what we put into our community. Whether it is a good day's work, an effort to be a good parent to our children or a supporter of efforts to improve this place we call home, we each make a difference. It's up to us as to whether that difference matters.

Through the years, we have seen many fine projects succeed in this community. As one book publisher once told me, Early County is hard core history. We have a shelf lined with books that prove not only our appreciation of our past, but celebrate the efforts of those who came before us.

We are now being asked to step up to the plate and help write a little history of our own. As the planning stages of 2055 progress, the community is asked to participate, to voice their opinions, concerns, dreams.

The hardest part of participating in such an endeavor is stepping outside our own comfort zones, setting aside the wish list of things that make our individual lives better and settling on a list of things that will make our community stronger. What are the things that make this place a good place for our children, for ourselves, for our parents? How can we move forward with economic development and still hold on to what makes Blakely and Early County such a special place?

One recent visitor remarked that Blakely looked a little worn, and maybe it does. Maybe we have been caught up in ourselves for awhile. Maybe we have put more energy into our own lives instead of that of our community. It's easy to do, easy to get so caught up in day to day living that we let some things go, things we think can wait.

We need to take the opportunity 2055 is offering us, the opportunity to take a close look at our community and really think about where we see ourselves not just in 50 years, but in five, in 10, in 20.

We also need to take the opportunity to look at how city planners working with the Rice Foundation see our community today and what they see in our future. A different perspective never hurts.

And we need to offer a thank you to the Rice Foundation for giving us this opportunity to think about our community's future, to consider our responsibilities to that end and to remind us that, after all, Early County is God's garden spot.