There is so much to do here
- col-lee-elliot-aging-graciously
- May 3, 2023
- 636
I keep hearing people say, “There is nothing to do here,” a statement that flabbergasts me because there is so much to do one can hardly find enough time to do it.
Just to name a very few of the opportunities available in Tuscarawas County, there are productions at the Kent State Performing Arts Center, the Little Theatre of Tuscarawas County, the Tuscarawas County Center for the Arts, Trumpet in the Land, all the schools and several outlying theaters.
There is music for every taste from classical to country, art exhibits, authors speaking, book clubs, writing groups, church choirs, baseball, basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, swimming and many special interest groups.
Museums of unusual natures are available, the cheese and wine industry flourishes, and the story of this very historic area in American history is told in multiple places. Opportunities for volunteering abound everywhere.
It has become noticeable lately that audiences are smaller in the theaters. The philharmonic is not filled to capacity as it used to be, and neither are those venues that offer musicals, dramas or comedies.
Sporting events are not as well attended as in the past. It is easy to blame these changes on COVID and the economy, or another thought occurs: Maybe there is too much to do, maybe no one wants to give up any of their time or, even more, maybe people just aren’t interested as they used to be.
I believe if you want to contribute to the society in which you live, as well as live a fulfilling life, you should experience as many different activities as possible. Investigate everything available, even if it is only to find out you don’t ever want to do it again.
I also believe parents should expose their children to all those activities from the time they are very young. If you want your children to read, you must read to them and make the library a weekly visit. If you want them to love sports, they must have fun playing those games and watch you enjoying them yourself. If you want them to love music, there must be music. And why on earth wouldn’t you want them to be enraptured by the world of make-believe? Far better to experience life by coming out from behind the cell phones provided for entertainment at such an early age.
If you want your children to be well-rounded and happy, there should be no “sissy singers,” “athletic apes” or “scholarship snobs” in your vocabulary. Introduce your children to it all and let them decide for themselves what they love and what they don’t.
Think about the interests you have chosen. Who or what headed you in that direction? Happiness is easy to find. Just look around for something to do.