In the fall of 2014, I applied for an economic development position for a regional organization in Iowa. In one of those “life works out” ways, I did not get it. The very next job application I submitted went to PO Box 544 Monroe, WI 53566. I distinctly remember wanting to make sure that I shared in the cover letter to Main Street Monroe, Inc. that both of my parents were self-employed, small business owners.
Over the course of my life, I have come to understand, dislike, and appreciate different parts of what that means. With less than two weeks until Christmas, in what has been an extraordinarily fast year, I am struck by just how hard everyone is working. It is not that everyone is working harder than in previous years, although some would likely say that they are.
There has also not been any lightbulb moment or great change. Just an honest recognition that while I am a cheerleader and that there is much to cheer for, there is also so much hard work that goes into creating all those moments we root for. And not just during the holidays. So often we want to make it look easier than it is, especially Christmas. But why don’t we better cheer the hard work? Because in a year that went from February to summer to Cheese Days to now, it all feels like the holidays are too big. There should be cheer just for the hard work.
And that “too big” feeling is with the shop owner who sets two alarms to make sure she doesn’t forget to pick up her kids when she’s working. It is with the shop owner who creates a full return on a bracelet purchased for someone who has lost her battle with cancer. It is with the shop owner who is figuring out how to get three children to three different places between herself and her husband and keep the shop open on Sundays. It is with the shop owner who has received damaged items due to that first real cold blast.
With a pause, I am transported to being a child of seven, a boy of 11, a teen of 17, a recent college graduate, a man hanging on to his twenties. Those “too big” feelings were with my parents often — as parents and as small business owners, just as they are with all of us, at least to some degree. Not noted and definitely not appreciated until my more recent life stages, I know now that in all of those ages, I had many little moments which made me feel loved and alive.
It is not that we should bemoan the hard work, nor think that anyone deserves more credit for theirs than yours, but to be honest about the hard work and how it rewards us with the small. Like little fingers clasped in their grandpa’s hand during walks to the square, a warm smile at checkout, a sigh of relief when you realize an item is in stock and gift wrapping is available free of charge, the faces of your children when they discover what Santa brought them thanks to many generous tips left by your regulars.
All the little moments come from hard work: yours and theirs, and ours. This year, it feels especially important to recognize and applaud it.
As always, wishing you a very merry and blessed Christmas. And applauding.
— Jordan Nordby is the executive director for Main Street Monroe. He can be reached at MonroeMainStreet@tds.net. Complete details on Main Street Monroe and its efforts can be found at mainstreetmonroe.org.
