By Kevin Foster
All of you who are familiar with me know, I always count my blessings. Here are a few things I have noticed living in several different parts of the country over the years, the last couple decades I have been here in Santa Cruz Mountains in Boulder Creek. I’ve noticed this small town is like no other, and full of blessings to be found. Folks genuinely go out of their way to be more caring; and with the use of social media, it shines ever so bright.
In the big cities you’ll see a lost animal and thousands of vehicles just drive right by not thinking for one second if the animal is lost or at risk of injury. Here in the Santa Cruz Mountains when folks come across a lost animal they immediately stop and try to pick it up, take it home, give it some love, food, and water and immediately begin posting all over social media hoping to reunite the animal with the owner. Folks even will go out of their way to go to the local vet to see if it’s been microchipped. This is just one of the beautiful blessings of this wonderful community in the mountains.
When someone is broken down in a vehicle, it’s just a matter of time before someone stops to check on them. In the big city people will honk at a stopped vehicle, just try to get around it, not bothering to assist in moving the vehicle or finding out if the person is alright.
Another beautiful thing I’ve noticed in our small community, is when folks need a ride, they’ll post on our local groups and it seems somebody will always step up to give them a ride to where they need to go.
These are just some of the things I’ve noticed over the years that I thought would be beneficial to point out especially for new residents to the community, in order to help others realize what a wonderful place we live in.
I have often noticed that everyone in our community picks up trash off the ground. The majority of the time, I’ve seen that the people who come up to our beautiful area to vacation or spend the weekend are the ones leaving the trash, and our community members pick up not only after themselves, but also after others in order to keep our mountains clean.
Wildlife…. We have so many wildlife lovers up here. It’s amazing to see how so many in the community go out of their way to make sure wildlife has an abundance of water on each of their properties. Some people like to supply nuts and fruits for the birds and the squirrels and even enjoy skunks in the yards digging to find grubs and bugs and hunting rodents.
Another thing you won’t find in big cities or large towns, neighbors helping neighbors. When folks who are struggling with physical capabilities need assistance, there are those who show up to clear downed trees, or clean up their property for fire prevention. When neighbors see their neighbors struggling with things of this sort, they are always happy to step up and help. When a business seems to be struggling for one reason or another, our community shows up in full force to ease their struggle, whether it be due to lack of traffic because of road work, road closures or because they had to close their doors for a while due to a family emergency or illness. Once word gets out and about, our small community rallies in full force, and the line is usually out the door when the business re-opens.
When somebody’s family members or themselves have been in an accident, community folks offer help in any way they can and come by the hundreds. When someone is down on their luck, hungry, and doesn’t have any money for food, they can go into one of our several restaurants in Boulder Creek and they will be fed and sent on their way with a full belly. I’ve spoken with several of our restaurant owners, and they all say the same thing “I would rather feed somebody and possibly prevent them from trying to steal some food”. This is an amazing blessing you will rarely find in any big city or town.
Folks, I could go on and on about the many wonderful aspects of blessings we have in our community. I hope this article inspires you a bit to take a minute and think about the many blessings in your own life, amongst all the blessings we have in this beautiful redwood forest mountain community. Look to see all the many wonderful people who make up this community who are blessings, and always remember, if you can’t find a blessing, be one!
