By John ‘Butch’ Dale
Guest Columnist

John ‘Butch’ Dale

There are many successful people I have known through the years. I’m not referring necessarily to financial success, but rather the overall accomplishments of an individual. They all have one thing in common. They love what they are doing. If you have a job that you love … no matter how much money you make, your life will be much happier.

Many people, especially young people, look up to and try to emulate their heroes … actors and actresses, singers, sports stars, wealthy businessmen, etc. They will eventually learn that these people are not heroes. A real hero is a person who volunteers his time to help others, a friendly neighbor, a youth group leader, a teacher who cares, a grandpa who takes his grandkids fishing, a grandma who teaches her granddaughter to bake cookies, a parent who sacrifices his wants and needs to take care of a handicapped child … and many more examples found in our everyday lives.

We all live in a busy and noisy world … constantly on the go, inundated by technological interruptions … cell phones, e-mails, radio, television, computers, digital this and digital that. Enough already!

After dinner in the evening, it’s time for a cup of coffee and a good book while resting in my easy chair, my dog sitting nearby. Ah yes, peace and quiet … and if I’m lucky … a short nap! TV news, politics, and idiot shows be damned. Then all is right with the world.

I have discovered that many young people have very little knowledge of American history and traditions. To many others around the nation, history is only what they interpret it to be to satisfy their political beliefs. Tearing down statues benefits no one. It will not change history. Read about history and learn to accept history for what it is. It is only then that change is possible.

When my grandparents passed away, I felt like many of my cousins in the Dale family. I wished I had spent more time with them while I had the chance. I would have asked them more questions. I would have learned more about their lives. I could have learned many more things that would have helped me throughout my life. Grandparents love to talk, teach, and pass on family traditions. But we were too busy … and then it was too late.

My wife and I attended several North Montgomery boys and girls basketball games this winter. One of our granddaughters and her boyfriend play on the varsity teams. Win or lose, we enjoyed watching, except for one thing … those crazy people who criticize the players, coach, refs, etc. by YELLING LOUDLY. As a former player back in the old days, I can assure you that such imbecile yelling does no good. … Those fans need to remember “it’s only a game.” Just let the pep block and cheerleaders do the yelling, and we’ll all be happy.

My hometown is not what it used to be when I was a youngster in the 1950s and ’60s. For the most part, the small towns of Montgomery County are shells of their former selves … very few Mom and Pop businesses exist. On Main Street today in my hometown … no cafe, no grocery, no drug store, no barbershop, no clothing store, no furniture store, no appliance store, no farm implement store, no movie theater … and on and on.

School consolidation may have saved money (and I seriously doubt that), but it killed the little towns. It was where I went to school, met my sweetheart, had fun with my friends, and learned about life from the oldtimers. Now I am an oldtimer. I feel sorry that today’s kids cannot experience the things that I did. But life and communities, and yes … even nations, oftentimes go full circle. I can only hope that perhaps one day, after I am long gone, they will.