Pappa Hardy’s Musings on Life.

Well, serving in Public Office is an interesting experience. It takes a mind shift away from what you personally want to see done, to making sure that you are working for the public good of everyone that you represent. This makes the choices difficult because sometimes there are lots of gray areas and no clear cut directions that should be taken. For instance, if you approve a certain type of development for an area, how is that going to impact the city and it’s citizens in 10-15 years, not just tomorrow.

Everyone of course has ideas about the right way to do things as well, and you quickly learn that you can’t always vote the way someone else suggests that you vote. It takes separating your desire to be liked from the public good. Everyone at some time or the other should have this opportunity.

I have never really been a fan of black Friday. For some reason I just don’t get a thrill of getting in the hunt for a bargain at 3am in the morning. I know that some people love that, but I am not one of them. I would much rather sleep in until my normal 5am get up time.

Unfortunately, I am the type of Christmas shopper that ends up not getting Christmas done until Christmas Eve. Somewhere, there must be a happy medium. I am unfortunately not it.

I love Thanksgiving. I always have, and I always will. The thing I love the most is family. This is a wonderful family day and I have lots of family memories that I cherish. In this year of trial, I pray for a special blessing on my families, all of America’s families, and the families of the world. We are all one big family and need to start getting along with each other.

There are days when life is tough, when things have become such a challenge that you wonder if you can handle it any more. It is on those kind of days that you hope for a safe port, a place where you can go and have all the hurts taken care of and the concern washed away.

For me, that was the Old Homestead, a house on 97 Dixie Street where my parents lived. I could go there, sit amongst familiar walls and know that I was home and that I would be taken care of. There are places like that for all of us. I am grateful for parents who made a home for me that gave me a place of refuge where I could be loved and taken care of.

Today, as I fought a freeway of ice and danger, I longed for the old homestead. I longed to be able to go there and have the fear of the unknown taken away and my feelings and concerns soothed and blown away. I longed for a simpler time when mom and dad would take care of it all. I longed for the Old Homestead.

I hadn’t really posted about what has been happening in Payson, but back in July I filed to run for the Payson City Council. A lot happened along the way, but on November 3 I was elected to the council, finishing second out of four that ran. Now, I am in the process of transitioning onto the council. There, is so much to learn and so much to do. There is just a lot of work. What have I got myself into. We shall find out.

Back in the 60’s Premier Nikita Kruschev of the USSR said that they (Russia) would bury us. I would laugh in my mind because I thought that could never happen. The United States was just much better. However, the Communist Chinese (and other Chinese) may have accomplished what the Soviets didn’t have a chance of doing. What is my proff? Well, I stood on the bow of the Golden Princess at the Sawyer glacier, my wife by my side, and all I could hear spoken around me was Mandarin Chinese, not by one person, nor two, but families and lots of individuals. I could understand, but not all of what was going on. The Chinese have taken over the earth. More than one if four of earth’s people are Chinese.

Earlier this week I filed as a candidate for the Payson City Council. I must be crazy. That is in direct contradiction of my desires to grow old and retire to a nice quiet place in the suburbs. However, I feel passionately about some things, and my desire for public service seems to have been awaken later in my life rather than when I was more vibrant and younger. Despite my geriatric leanings, I do have a desire to make a difference and to serve my community. We will see how this campaign goes.

I suppose it is a right to be rude if you want to be, but is it polite, I don’t think so. My recent cruise on the Crown Princess was very enjoyable except for the fact that we ran into a number of people who were downright rude. If whatever was going on was not according to their desires, they spoke up and they were rude. Once, my wife wanted to put her arm around me and she was told that she couldn’t do that by another lady. In several instances these people were obviously from New York, but I don’t think it was limited to that area of the country as the location of rudeness. I have been to New York and New York City and I found most of the people very delightful.

No, it was a select minority that were rude in their behavior and their remarks, and I felt sorry for them because their lives must be pretty bitter to make them want to behave this way. I am going to re-double my efforts to be polite with people.

We live in a great country. We live in a country where people are supposed to be judged by their peers if they have broken the law and if they have transgressed in some way. However, I fear that this country of ours is moving away from that rule of law. We have begun to make it a place where fairness only applies if you are politically correct. If you aren’t a liberal, and part of the ones that are enlightened, then the rule of the popular is more important and is therefore how you are judged. This country has moved away from truth and fairness, and instead has been moved to what is politically correct.

Last night I sat next to Congressman Jason Chaffetz of the Third Congressional District of the State of Utah. In college, I roomed with Robert Bishop, Congressman of the First Congressional District of Utah. The experiences have taught me a few things.

When I was much younger, I thought of these people as heroes of the largest order, larger than life, and as people I would never be equal too. Now having had the opportunity to know people who have influence in our country, I have come to know that they are human, just like me.

They are human, but they are good people because they care for and love this land the same way that I do. They are human because they are subject to the same foibles that we all are, but they doing their best to do what is best for this country. I think it is great that we can have the opportunity to know these people and share with them our love for our country. It was a wonderful opportunity for me. It was our annual Chamber Installation Banquet, and I enjoyed hearing about how they make a difference. I can make a difference too.