Appreciation

by Bethany Hansen

I think it has been said of local and state governments that you know they are functioning well when you hardly notice they are there.

Especially since having my son, I have developed an all new appreciation for having clean water come out of my faucet and having a nice, clean, well-maintained park next door to my apartment. Such amenities do not come without someone doing the work—I thought it was interesting to see a city worker cleaning up the park early on a Saturday morning. I do think it is terribly easily to take for granted the services we receive from our local and state governments—especially because we hardly notice the services until something interrupts them, or they are subpar.

We owe much of our quality of life to government in general, and to people who work in those governments, in particular. The administrators, clerks, public utility workers, and others create a combined effort that makes life better for all of us.

So I, for one, want to remember and appreciate those efforts.