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SOUTHWEST VALLEY CHAMBER

Safin: Let’s keep Southwest Valley civility intact

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We’re moving a little faster back into the world.

Well, not everyone is moving faster. Parents continue to juggle work and home-schooling responsibilities, many people are without jobs, too many business owners are struggling and the list goes on but I won’t be a complete doggy downer. The puppy upper in me knows there are good things happening, too.

I’m looking to the future where more good stuff will happen. Also hoping the good stuff includes the core characteristics that make our community great.

We have amazing people living here who are friendly, look out for each other and much more. This is one reason the Southwest Valley is a great tourist destination and an even better place to live.

We have an underlying belief in common courtesy. That’s huge, whether you know it or not. Yeah, smiling at everyone has been more challenging with the mask requirement but our actions compensate for the missing visual gesture.

A story I’ve told a few times: guy at the cash register is short a couple bucks. Everyone in line behind him offered to cover the balance. How awesome is that?

Caring about other people is another great thing we have that is, sadly, missing in other parts of country. The closer you are to a person (or problem) the more you will care.

My example above was all about strangers offering help. We do that as a community. We do it more when our economy is running better than it has been over the past six months. Even through that, we still figured out a way to provide whatever level of help we could give.

By the way, more support for our local charities is still needed.

Change has happened, is happening and will continue to happen. That’s life and change is part of it.

The notion of “the new normal” is offensive. It implies we’re stuck in a situation without hope of improving. Each of us, and all of us together, are too forward-thinking to be jammed up for any length of time.

My hope is for our core characteristics to remain strong or get stronger. The “We’re in This Together” phrase isn’t only for sheltering in place. It’s a maxim for maintaining a vibrant and growing community.

Editor’s note: John Safin is president/CEO of the Southwest Valley Chamber of Commerce.