PHOTO BY KAYLA LASURE Carlisle Poteat volunteers at Ransom in Boone to pack meal boxes in March 2020.
Where You Live Matters 5 Ways to Draw Inspiration from Living in the High Country
T
he mornings were still, and the mountain sunrise provided an exquisite backdrop for the start of each spring day. Frost on the fresh-cut grass quickly fading, breath still visible thanks to the morning chill. The serene setting created by the dawn’s first light helped to provide hope and optimism despite the circumstances besieging the surrounding world. This setting was our reality in spring 2020. While millions saw their lives suddenly confined to tiny dwellings amidst city skylines, we had our overlooks, our
32 | Boone My Hometown 2020-21
BY KATIE GREENE & DAVID JACKSON Boone Area Chamber of Commerce
long and winding trails, and the beauty of our ridgelines to help give each day the feel of a restart. That daily ritual could only influence the attitudes of our citizens and business leaders. With each morning walk came the rhetorical questions, “What can I do to help? How can I make things better?” Below are some examples of why where you live matters, both during times of calm and unrest, and how the attitude of a community helped to provide the hope we all so desperately craved.
1. WE HAVE GRIT
The realities of a world cloaked in pandemic mayhem saw resilience become the most valuable commodity. People were forced to think outside their tried and true operational norms to find ways for their businesses and families to survive both health issues and economic disarray. When N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper announced the closure of restaurants to dine-in traffic in late March, Kindly SEE MATTERS ON PAGE 36
