Lately it seems like most of the news we read and hear is bad. Daily, we are bombarded with the conditions of the economy, terrorism, war, violence, unemployment, oil prices, natural disasters, crime, political corruption, scandal, drugs and the endless list of new ailments that didn't exist 20 years ago.
"Ask your doctor if this or that medication is right for you." Sometimes I find myself avoiding the news altogether. During times like these, I think we need to focus on the bright side rather than all the negativity.
Recently, I was looking at some of the art of Norman Rockwell. Most of you can remember his wonderful works that graced the covers of The Saturday Evening Post. In 1916, the 22-year-old illustrator painted his first cover and continued to be associated with the magazine for the next 47 years. In total, Rockwell painted 321 covers for the Post. Most of them reflected the quality of small-town life in America.
I grew up in a small Illinois town that possessed many of the qualities of life depicted in Rockwell's paintings. He was a master at capturing what might be considered the simple side of life. He once said, "Without thinking too much about it in specific terms, I was showing the America I knew and observed to others who might not have noticed."
After completing my education, I had hopes of going back to the small-town atmosphere that I loved. I have always enjoyed the laid-back lifestyle. Instead, my first job assignment sent me packing to Chicago, which was a long way from where I'd hoped to be. Unfortunately, that's where the company wanted me and there I stayed for almost 30 years. It was a far cry from one of the scenes in Rockwell's paintings.
Fast-forward a few years and we are now living in a community with a population smaller than that of my old high school. Our village is like many towns in this part of the state. It's a place where you can't go to the grocery store or the post office without running into someone you know. A brief trip to town winds up taking longer than expected because you stop to enjoy a few conversations along the way. It's a place where you know your neighbor's name and if they need a hand you are glad to help them out.
Our village hardware store has a coffeepot going all day long and it serves as a gathering place for the locals to trade fish stories and to decide who is going to be our next president. One customer is such a frequent visitor, that he brought in his own rocking chair and put it next to the coffeepot.
If Rockwell were alive today, this scene could be on the cover of a Saturday Evening Post. Nothing is perfect in this world of ours, but I'd sure rather be here than back in that big city.
Wishing all of you in northern Michigan a safe and happy Fourth of July.
Ed Hungness and his wife owned their cottage on Fife Lake for six years before moving there after his retirement in 2005. His writing draws from life experiences and a love for the outdoors and northern Michigan. He can be reached at edhungness@yahoo.com or care of the Record-Eagle.
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