A positive change for the Holidays?

             Peace on earth, goodwill towards man. Does it get any simpler than that?

As some of you may have noticed I’ve been putting more of a positive spin on my last few columns. I’m not sure what’s gotten into me (maybe just age) but let’s just go with it, and I’ll try not to dwell on the negative for a change.

Not dwelling on the negative is easier said than done especially with the reality of the violent world we live in. Right now it’s all about terrorism, both religious and political. Whether it’s in the Middle East, Colorado Springs, Paris, or just 500 miles away in San Bernardino, it feels like it’s all around us. Yet we go on with our lives, we are naively optimistic that it won’t happen to us or our loved ones.

I guess for me one of the amazing things about being human is that we all go about our lives knowing that someday it’s going to end. Talk about naïve optimism, how much more optimistic can you get? We love, teach, learn, work, reproduce, and create families, all knowing way back in our minds that it’s finite, even futile.

I suppose the reason so many people turn to religion is because of the promise of an afterlife. It’s just too hard to fathom that this is it, you only get one chance.

But what would happen if the religious teachings were the opposite? What if we were taught the truth that there is only one life, this one, the one you’re living right now? Would it become a free for all? Take what you want now since there is no future or treat others with kindness since there’s no point in fighting? I don’t know which way it would go and it’s kind of futile to think about it since the modern religions are so well established that I don’t think they’re going anywhere anytime soon.

Ah, but one can dream that someday humans will see the light that there is no light at the end of that proverbial tunnel to heaven. Maybe then they will stop all the hating and hurting and killing because we are different and embrace the love and the kindness because we are all the same.

So were those last few paragraphs positive or negative? I’m not sure because this positive stuff is kind of new for me. How about we just move on and see what’s in store for Winters in the not too distant future.

As Bob Dylan wrote so many years ago, “The times they are a changing” and things are definitely going to change around here. Change can be good, bad, or a combination of both. I’m trying to stay positive so I will reserve judgment and see how it all plays out. That being said here’s what’s in store for us in the coming few years.

There are tons of new houses coming with new families filling them as well as filling the schools, the restaurants, the shops, and the roads.

The PG&E facility will bring a whole new modern look to the eastern gateway to town. It will also bring new employees, some who might even live in the new houses. It will bring hundreds of annual trainees that will spend time and money here in town.

Right now Hotel Winters is just a hole in the heart of downtown but soon it will be this new massive building full of vibrancy with guests coming, going, and staying. It will change the landscape of our downtown forever.

The vacant lot on Grant just west of the Dollar General will eventually be filled with the old (seniors) and the new. A new credit union, doctor’s offices, senior’s center, and senior’s housing are all going in that space as well as a traffic circle out front.

A new retail development is in the works for the first block of Railroad north of Main Street. I’m not sure what businesses will be in there but they will be one more place where locals and visitors alike can contribute to the Winters economy.

Last but not least is the new car bridge at the south end of Railroad Avenue. As compared to the old one this one is big, bright, and bold. It will for sure make some kind of an impression on those visitors using it as the gateway to historic downtown.

So as this year ends and a new one begins I am optimistic about my life here in Winters. The outside world can be a big scary place but I still feel safe in this wonderful small town. Yes there will be a lot of changes but the people that make Winters feel like home will still be here and I can happily live with that.

Happy holidays (whatever yours might be) or at least Happy New Year, because you never know…

To view the column in it's original form go to page 16 of the following link. Winters Express 12/17/15