All That Glitters....

So for my first article for the brand new Springville Independent, I should write something profound about beginnings and what they mean to all of us. How a fresh start is a chance to recommit to those high ideals that drive us towards the best in a free press in America.

And to be sure, while there was no paper, I kept thinking about all the money the city council spends in its day to day business, wondering who was going to watch it happen and tell everybody. Where is the anger, the outrage, the thrill of calling your mayor and councilmen and complaining if you have no idea of what’s going on?

But then I was also thinking about spending money on our vacation in Mexico and how that was really more relevant to me.

Let’s just get it right out there; anyone who tells you that Mexico is cheap is lying.

Maybe somewhere in the Mexican equivalent of Ohio it’s cheaper, but anywhere you can drink the water is going to cost you the same amount it does here; but the stuff in the shops is going to be different and alluring and it’s going to be hard to think you don’t need it.

As far as I’m concerned a Mexican jewelry store is like a combo all night liquor store and donut shop combined. I’ve never met a pair of dangly earrings that didn’t have my name on them. And my inner Santa just goes wild in any kind of gift giving situation.

It all boils down to the fact that I love to buy stuff. The rush of handing your credit card over the counter and getting back that big bag of junk is the most fun you can have with your clothes on, as they say. However, it’s always a good idea to have someone else with me to remind me that credit cards are not magic carpets.

Come to think of it, to get back to the city council, a gift shop in Mexico is actually not all that different than running a city government. I mean, you seldom have a bond election about buying new police cars or upgrading the city computers, you have it about something glamorous like a new library or a recreation center.

I get no thrill from buying the ordinary things in life: chicken breasts, even organic chicken breasts, or fresh peppers to stuff, as lovely as those things are, are not that exciting. Buying handmade wooden tops for my grandkids and pottery for my daughters-in-law gives me a genuine buzz.

The trick is finding the right rationale. Not all Mexican jewelry shop purchases are suspect. I’ve spent many a happy hour enjoying the swirl and bump of dangly silver earrings against my cheek.

Just like I know I’m going to love a new recreation center.

It’s all in the over site of the details.

And that’s what a newspaper does.