Are you waiting for a new day, a fresh start, and hope for rosier days ahead? Me too, literally. With a week of vacation just around the corner, I am looking forward to road trip reflections, wilderness wanderings, meaningful chats with my best friend, and cozy evenings in a tent with a novel.
Seems like we have been in a bit of limbo for about 15 months, with many starts and stops, hemmed with uncertainty. It may even seem longer for some, particularly for those directly impacted by the fires of September 2020. Businesses and citizens have undeniably suffered a double whammy. Surely, many in our community may be feeling like they are lost in the wilderness and without hope.
A few weeks ago, I set out on a hike with two friends, heading to Boundary Springs – the headwaters of the Rogue River. It had been a decade since I had made the easy going 5-mile roundtrip trek from Hwy 230 to see this wild and scenic wonder simply gurgle up out of a bed of rocks. Not all that spectacular really, that I recall, other than to note that sometimes amazing things just come out of nowhere.
Turns out that on this trail revisited, the area had clearly been devastated by a recent forest fire. And while we could see evidence of new growth here and there, the trek was mostly laden with downed and burn-scarred trees. Consequently, what was once a familiar and refreshing landscape, now was eerily not so inspiring and frankly a little depressing. In addition, we absent-mindedly bumbled past our cutoff because the trailhead was no longer clearly marked. We lost sight of the path forward. Soon enough, we were bushwhacking haphazardly though still in sight of the river, over and down a steep ravine. We just were not where we expected to be.
My beloved McNab Collie was along for the adventure and I had been making rather lackluster attempts to train her to be off-leash. I wanted her to learn how to return promptly at my call, despite her relentless chase-everything-that moves personality. But you guessed it – she caught a whiff of something, and before I could realize that she was no longer with us, she was gone. It seemed like an eternity that we called and whistled for her to no avail. Finally, we just decided to sit down to wait, have a snack, and remain hopeful for her immediate return. This only lasted a few minutes, of course, before I desperately resorted to prayer while simultaneously beating myself up for not training her properly.
Perhaps 10 minutes later, we spotted her running wildly in the distance like she was in agonizing trouble. And yes, she was in big trouble indeed – I was already rehearsing my “bad dog” speech. After an emotional reunion and a stern reprimand, the leash was swiftly hooked back onto her harness and we continued our hike. I continued to mumble things like “you are leashed forever” and “no treats for you.”
It was not until a few hours later upon returning to the car that I discovered her collar was missing. Upon further consideration, I realized that she had likely been caught on a snag by her collar which was a bit loose to begin with. I imagined how desperate she must have been, like a toddler lost in a grocery store, and how she must have wiggled herself free. Maybe she really hadn’t done anything wrong and it was not her fault after all. It was an unexpected bad circumstance.
She’s had a bit of separation anxiety ever since. But she is sporting a new properly fitted collar and new dog tags. Rosie was promptly scheduled for a visit to the vet to be chipped and her master is also expected to make a full recovery! I am imagining “Rosier” days ahead now.
In the next three weeks, SOREDI and our partner agency in Josephine County, the Illinois Valley Community Development Organization (IVCanDO), will pass through about $2 million in financial assistance to businesses impacted by the pandemic. This is in addition to $4.8 million deployed in the last 4 months of 2020. It is a bit of additional hope infused into our economy. Applications for Josephine County businesses are still open (https://soredi.org/jocares2021).
With the expected relaxation of social distancing protocols in the immediate future, and additional grant funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), there is hope for another fresh start. Jurisdictions across Southern Oregon are thoughtfully planning how substantial allocations of federal funding will be best used to revitalize our economy. SOREDI, as the region’s federally recognized economic development district, is also expecting a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the Economic Development Administration by the end of this month. Staff is already on point to identify needs that align with our One Rogue Valley Strategy, that can be implemented quickly to further help our communities recover again and make much needed investments.
Unexpected life difficulties can make or break us. In my wilderness moments I have learned to stop and rest, refuel, rethink my path forward, and then start again. And eventually I remerge with a new hope and a list of resolutions on how I will better manage the next unexpected fork in the trail.
We find ourselves in a remarkable time in history – good and bad – with remarkable personal and collective resolve and resources to shape tomorrow into a better day. You could just wait it out. But I hope you will take corrective action where needed, and refuse to stay snagged in that hard place you may find yourself to be. There are rosier days ahead.
Keep looking up!
Sincerely,
Colleen Padilla, Executive Director
