Quality of Life: Love Where You Live

Lately, I’ve been on a long kick about Code Enforcement, compliance, etc. 
But here’s the bottom line:

The economy is tanked.  I have a $300K home worth only $62K.  How did that happen?  I’ll tell you how that happened.  Folks stopped caring about their community. They started putting up with poor behavior from neighbors and retailers.  We either fled, leaving the banks to take over the property we once valued, or just plain stopped caring, worried more about our own personal problems than anything else.  Here’s what I’m talking about:

1. We allowed our community to become overgrown and trashy.  It only takes moments out of your life to pick up trash when you see it, or report the overgrowth to Code, or cut the grass at the abandoned house next door.
2. We allowed illegal signs to be put up on poles and at intersections.  That, too, only takes a moment.  I’m able to do it daily.
3. We failed to attend zoning meetings to fight what are now eyesores.  Yes, the overgrown areas that we thought were going to be new neighborhoods were approved by the commission, yet the developer wasn’t required a bond to guarantee the work would be performed.
4. We buried our heads in the sand at the obvious.  Instead of reporting crime, we went about our lives, saying to ourselves “what will the police do…nothing!” or “I don’t want to get involved.”  Uh, hello….we ARE involved!  By the way, it’s not our job to determine if a crime is being committed, that’s why we have police (oh, and by the way, your tax dollars help that salary).  If it looks suspicious, call 9-1-1, let the experts determine what’s going on.  If we don’t report, police don’t know there’s a problem.
5. We give money to the flim-flammers at intersections and at store parking lots (yes, I know we’re supposed to help our brothers and sisters, but when you tolerate this behavior, it encourages more).  I’ve seen an increase in the aggressiveness of this behavior, and they are getting quite bold and angry. I used to offer to buy them food at the store they’re standing in front of, but they always declined, so now I just ignore them and keep on walking (I know what that money is really for…).
6. And many times (and I’m sad to say) we do the trashing up ourselves.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen folks throw their bank receipts on the ground at the ATM when the trashcan is right in front of them.  Same at the gas station.  The "yard sale" signs that stay up for weeks. Or sitting at a red light and watch someone throw an entire bag of spent fast food right into the street!  I’ve found those in my front yard, too!

What is wrong with us as a community where we don’t take more pride in what we have?  We complain about the declined economy, yet we do nothing!  We allow poor behavior.  They don’t have our issues in Buckhead, or Alpharetta, because the citizens will not tolerate it.  There was a Memorial Drive revitalization that included brick sidewalks and some pretty nice (and darn expensive) street lamps.  This was the Commission’s kick-start for us.  It was our opportunity to take it and run with it, and follow in their footsteps.

There is only one answer:  Love where you live, because you’re not going anywhere any time soon.  Make the most of what you have.  If you show pride in your community, the economy can only go up, thus increasing the interest of larger retailers, and thus increasing interest in our neighborhoods, and people will start moving back, and increasing our economy.  When we stop caring, it shows, and shows heavily.  Get to know the retailers you patronize and let them know you appreciate them.

Now I have to tell you, I realize that with the poor economy, many are out of work, or underemployed and struggling.  I’m right there with you.  I lost my job last year, and six months later became re-employed, at HALF what I was making.  I am struggling just to survive and literally living paycheck to paycheck.  But you know what?  I still cut my grass, I still take pride in where I live, and where I do my business.  I’m not going to allow the fact that I have no money change my priorities, my morals or my values for quality of life.  I’m thrilled I still have my house and didn’t lose it (okay, so I had to dip into my retirement…) and I have managed to rearrange my monthly expenditures to ensure I can eat.  I did what I had to do, but I didn’t compromise my values.

This is just something to think about.  I know everyone doesn’t have the same values, but before you complain about “our area”, ask yourself what you’re doing to bring it back to what it once was. LOVE where you live and SHOW it!