A Sense of Peace

After a visit to the D-R football fields on Monday night, I was feeling overwhelmed wondering how the once-great 'stadium' where I had spent countless Friday nights just over 15 years ago had fallen into such disrepair in so many different ways. I spent the night scouring enrollment at other MA districts searching for schools with similar enrollment to ours, compiling lists, searching for budgets, and trying to come up with a plan to put it all together. I was hoping to identify how other schools with similar budgets and enrollments had beautiful grounds, where we fell so incredibly short. As you can imagine, I basically came to the conclusion that this would be a several week to month exercise. I was not going to find any answers Monday night.

Needless to say, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep. Combine that with numerous e-mails on Tuesday from parents asking why prom could be held at D-R High School but not Five Bridge Inn due to capacity issues, with little in the way of answers explaining the difference in the state-mandated capacity rules between locations, and by Tuesday night I was quite cranky. I turned on Channel 9 to await the BOS meeting while my family ate dinner with a black screen in the next room over. Dinner finished, we started cleaning up, and I had all but forgotten that I was even waiting for a meeting. But then it started. And quite quickly, we heard the words that piqued our interest and changed the mood in our home: Francis Farm.

For the past year or so, Town Officials in Rehoboth have been plagued with a variety of issues, as officials in all towns are. Four commonly heard complaints in Rehoboth have been the lack of replacement of the COA, the crumbling Town Hall, over-development in town, and loss of land so many hope to conserve. Was I really hearing right? Were all of these issues in some way or form maybe not being completely resolved, but at least improved, in ONE five minute announcement?

I immediately felt a sense of peace. Much like I was already experiencing the myriad of issues related to the school and a sense of frustration of not being able to find solutions, town leaders before me, here and everywhere, have been going through the same thing for years. Maybe this week was just my rite of passage, and maybe I'm a little ashamed that I allowed myself to get emotional so quickly. But it sure is encouraging to learn that it may have taken over a year, and it may have not been the first, second, or third proposals to solve the issues in town, but solutions are possible. Things take time, not everything is an easy win, but I am at peace knowing that sometimes things do fall into place. And just because I can't find a solution right now does not mean I am a failure. As long as I am trying (and sometimes failing) I am a success, because I am working toward what hopefully one day will be a beautiful result.

I know peace doesn't last forever, so I am enjoying it today. Especially while listening to my girls play with their newest source of peace, Barbie. Who knew Barbie was so magical? My house has never been so quiet! The issues and concerns will be back tomorrow, or maybe later today, or maybe before I finish typing this. But in this moment, there is peace, and I hope other Rehoboth citizens were also able to enjoy a moment of peace this week in light of Tuesday's announcement.