By Emily Stonehouse

The world feels difficult, that’s no secret.

Unless you are one of the very lucky individuals who is able to stay entirely apolitical, whether that be based on privilege or ambivalence, the waters are tough to wade for most.

During another grey winter day, while the skies opened up to add to our shoveling, I felt down.

Yes, there are feel-good stories coming to the surface. We can’t deny those.

But those little snippets of joy aren’t large enough to blur the brutality of the big picture. The news that comes at us a mile a minute; decisions at every decibel, choices on every channel.

Thank goodness for Mister Rogers. Even though the show has decades layered on top, my two-year-old son is still drawn to it. The pace, the energy, the storytelling. Even my husband and I catch ourselves getting swept into the Land of Make Believe, with the ever-winding messaging to quite simply be a good person.

The reason I bring up Mister Rogers in an editorial dedicated to Haliburton County, is because of the people who call this place home.

One of my favourite quotes can be attributed to Fred Rogers: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”

I saw that, this week. Here, in our little hometown. I had a phone call with the Minden Community Business Working Group, who are drumming up interest and buzz amongst the village for the greater good of redesign.

I sat in on the Haliburton BIA meeting, and noted that every single person in that room wanted to be there to make our community thrive.

I saw a girls’ hockey league sprout up, in an effort to ensure women in sports, and offer them a space they felt safe, supported, and seen.

I discussed the Sports Hall of Fame with doers and dreamers from our town who have no direct benefit to celebrating the successes of students and athletes, but believe in the value of legacy and storytelling for future generations.

I spent one full morning with the students at Haliburton Highlands Secondary School, working with their local leadership class; a group of students who have opted into the program to develop activities, experiences, and memories for their classmates, and are writing columns to engage with the community.

Look for the helpers.

They are out there. Whether that be in the not-for-profit world, a volunteering context, an artist who uses their platform to speak, a parent who rallies to care for their kids.

People who choose to make a difference. Who dedicate time, energy, ideas, and heart to the greater good.

So on these grey days, the ones that feel lonely and hopeless and never-ending, just look for the helpers, offering a little warmth, to a very cold world.