Opinion

THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

Woodstock, IL w 1987

May 1-7, 2013

THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

CONTACT OPINION letters@thewoodstockindependent.com

Cheryl Wormley Paul Wormley

Co-Owner

Publisher, Co-Owner

The Editorial Board

Cheryl Wormley John C. Trione Mike Neumann Katelyn Stanek Jay Schulz Rhonda Mix

John C. Trione Mike Neumann

News Editor

General Manager

OUR VIEW

Farmers market is win/win/win for Woodstock

The Woodstock Farmers Market returns to its usual location on the Woodstock Square this Saturday, with market days being held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Tuesday and Saturday through October. While the weather hasnt exactly felt like spring, the market may help to finally bring the feel of the season to Woodstock residents. There are 40 vendors signed up to take part in the twice-weekly markets this year. As in years past, the market will feature live music during most, if not all, of the market days. Featured performers for opening day include Cheryl Niemo and J.W. Rice from 9 to 11 a.m. and Pete Jonsson from 11 a.m. to noon. Performers for other markets will be posted on www.woodstockfarmersmarket.org as they are announced. Since April 19, the Woodstock Farmers Market has been counting down on its Facebook site the days until opening day. In addition to the countdown, photographs of market vendors and information about the 2013 season have been popping up on the site. On opening day, well have plenty of seedlings and plants available for your vegetable garden and flower beds, one post reads. Another post encourages residents to bring their dogs for a walk around the Square on opening day. One photo posted to Facebook shows Kent Fishburn of Off Square Music presenting Michele Aavang, president of the Woodstock Farmers Market Board, a $1,250 check to be used for this years Link Plus Program, a program that matches Link (food stamps) purchases at the market up to a specified amount. The Independent encourages past market attendees and newcomers alike to check out the page at www.facebook.com/woodstockfarmersmarket. Woodstock residents are fortunate to have such a successful farmers market, voted No. 1 in Illinois for markets of the same size, as a regular fixture in their lives. The market provides opportunities to meet directly with the people who are growing your food and allows producers to sell directly to customers without a middle man taking a cut of the profits. The market is more than a win/win for customers and sellers, however. Local businesses benefit from the additional foot traffic brought to the downtown area on market days. This not only helps current merchants and restaurateurs, but it helps pump life into the retail area and could attract future business owners to Woodstock. The Independent encourages readers to frequent the farmers market this season.

COLUMN

To tell or not to tell

I have been thinking a lot about friendships and what being a true friend entails. Most of my life, Ive had a small group of friends, and this has been something Im fine with. Crowds tend to overwhelm me after awhile, and Im not good with large groups of people. There are a couple friends Ive had in my life for quite some time now, including one friendship spanning more than 16 years. Weve occasionally joked we are more like sisters than friends partially due to the fact that a few times every year we sometimes get into dramatic, heated arguments. I do believe the saying a good friend is hard to find is completely true. Throughout life, we meet many people, but most are passing shadows individuals who barely linger long enough in our lives for us to get to know them. We also may have many acquaintances or friends of friends we see from time to time, but, if the truth be told, we probably dont consider these people true comrades in the sense of the word. A friend accepts us with all our shortcomings, just as we accept theirs. A true friend will indeed be there through good times and bad and also will be supportive and enthusiastic when it comes to having been told about a friends successes and triumphant moments instead of harboring bitter feelings. But what about when it comes to the more difficult aspects of friendship? Rhonda What do you do when you Mix see a friend heading down Mix a destructive Messages path or throwing himself/herself blindly into a relationship where you know he or she could possibly get hurt? Are we, as good friends, supposed to put on fake smiles and mumble encouraging words and affirmations? How do we discern when to keep things from our friends, when to sugarcoat harsh truths, when to close our mouths or when to be blunt? I frequently see situations like this arise and have experienced them myself on more than one occasion. It can be difficult to tell which action would be most appropriate for the situation. When trying to convey a viewpoint that contradicts a friends perceptions, misunderstandings and hurt feelings can and often do occur.

I strongly believe, though, that people who love you will tell you what they think even when it is painful for all involved. We all know it is not always easy to accept or to give criticism, but people who love us want us to live life to the fullest. Perhaps we should stop and really consider what our friends have to say during such uncomfortable moments. That may mean staring at blinding realities we dont want to face or taking our hands down from our ears and listening to words we dont want to hear. Yes, we are supposed to be supportive when it comes to our loved ones. And no, we shouldnt dig around in things that arent our business. But, at the end of the day, its better to have one friend who cares enough to tell us like it is than a hundred lukewarm friends who may not care enough, or lack the courage, to give their honest opinions. I feel blessed to have a small group of friends who I believe always will be direct with me, no matter if what they say may hurt or damage my pride and who will tell me if I have something grotesque stuck in my teeth. Cherish the friend who tells you a harsh truth, wanting 10 times more to tell you a loving lie. -Robert Brault

Rhonda Mix is a staff writer for The Woodstock Independent.

YOUR VIEW

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Email letters to the editor to letters@thewoodstockindependent.com or mail them to 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098.

When it comes to technology, were not alone

Mr. John Daabs column in the April 17 to 23 issue of The Independentwas written as if he had read my

diary. The article about dealing with todays electronics was such a carbon copy of my world. As I move slower each day, electronics move faster! I no more get something figured out and it becomes obsolete. I can not tell you how many times I have

called my 7-year-old grandson for help. Thanks to Mr. Daab for letting us less-than-gifted, electronicallychallenged people know we are not alone. Mary Lou Glenn, Woodstock