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'The measure of intelligence is the ability to change” -Albert Einstein.
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Common Sense
The Progress
Editorial
April 13,2023
To be happier: volunteer and do good
The 2023 World Happiness Report was re
cently released and Finland landed the top
position for a sixth straight year.
The six key variables the report quantifies
are income, social support, healthy life ex
pectancy, freedom to make life choices, gen
erosity, and freedom from comiption.
Following Finland, Denmark again came
in second and Iceland took third place fol
lowed by Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, Nor
way, Switzerland, Luxembourg and New
Zealand at number 10. The United States
ranked 15th happiest, just in front of Ger
many (16th), and Belgium (17th). Perhaps
not surprisingly, the war-tom country of
Afghanistan ranked the lowest,
with Lebanon and Sierra Leone
also at the bottom.
Second place Iceland might
be the most sparsely populated
country in Europe, but its peo
ple are some of the happiest in
the world, thanks to the coun
try’s attitude towards relying on
others and the fact that residents
have a strong sense of commu
nity. According to the Organization for Eco
nomic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), in Iceland, 98% of people believe
they know someone they can rely on in a time
of need.
Many believe one of the key reasons Fin
land excels every year is because of its citi
zens feel taken care of, from safe cities and
towns to social sustainability and connected
ness to others.
Researchers found it “interesting and
heartening” that in many places “various
forms of everyday kindness, such as helping
a stranger, donating to charity and volunteer
ing, are above pre-pandemic levels.” Kind
ness, helping others, donating and
volunteering all lead to more happiness.
On those accounts Pickens County has a
lot to offer people looking to be happy and
make the most of their lives. Our county is a
very safe place to live. Just check out our
weekly Sheriff’s Beat. It’s incredibly rare to
see a violent crime occur (getting mad at your
wife for allowing the kids to burp at the table
and not you doesn’t count). So on that point,
Pickens is great.
While Pickens can definitely boast that we
As Aristotle
said, life is
about
serving others
and doing
good.
have many volunteers filling positions
throughout the county, you see the same
handful of people doing the bulk of the work
over and over at events. With most of us lead
ing busy lives, the idea of volunteering may
be initially unappealing. How could we pos
sibly fit one more thing in? But our happiness
- and indeed our life span - may depend on it.
Aristotle once said that the essence of life
is “to serve others and do good.” And it
seems the happiest places on Earth have a
high number of folks who volunteer. Volun
teering, it seems makes us happy and ful
filled.
Volunteering connects us with others. If
we’re feeling lonely, isolated,
or simply want to widen our so
cial circle, volunteering is an
important - and fun - way to
meet new people. In fact, one of
the best ways to make new
friends and strengthen existing
relationships, according to hap
piness.com, is through a shared
activity, like hosting a golf tour
nament fundraiser or tours of a
historic site or with a youth program.
Volunteering can also help with a “healthy
life expectancy” that the happiness study fo
cuses on. A Carnegie Mellon University
study found that adults over 50 who volun
teered regularly were less likely to develop
high blood pressure compared to non-volun
teers. Another study showed that ‘high vol
unteers’ (helping out at two or more
organizations) had a 63 percent lower mor
tality rate than non-volunteers.
Volunteering keeps us in regular contact
with others and this combats loneliness and
depression.
Volunteering with animals has also been
shown to improve mood while reducing
stress and anxiety. Be Paws We Care has a
program at the county shelter where volun
teers walk dogs at the park. What a great way
to spend a sunny afternoon.
Not an animal person, there are scores of
organizations throughout Pickens County that
are devoted to the service of others. From the
Thrift Store and CARES Food Pantry, to the
senior center or the Weekend Snack Program,
there’s an organization for all of us so get out
there, get involved and get happy.
Tell us your thoughts with a letter to the editor. E-mail to news@pickensprogress.com
See letter submission guidelines on the Letters to the Editor page or call us 706-253-2457.
Senior Moments
My time is valuable too
I never know how
much time I have left
so time is precious
to me.
By Mary Migliaro
Senior Golden Girl
A recent visit to an ortho
pedist reminded me how
much I hate the medical sys
tem. To begin with, it took
me almost 30 minutes to
schedule an appointment.
Apparently, they do not have
a sufficient number of staff to
help with this.
As a new patient, I was
asked to come 30 minutes
prior to the appointment to
fill out necessary paperwork,
etc. I was there 40 minutes
early hoping I might be taken
early (fat chance of that).
After turning in the com
pleted paperwork, I sat in the
waiting room for my 1:00 ap
pointment. The appointment
time came, and the clock
ticked on and on with no one
coming to take me back to
see the doctor.
At 1:15,1 asked the recep
tionist if I had gotten my time
wrong. She told me that the
doctor was running late due
to surgery going longer than
expected. I’m a very under
standing person, but it would
have been nice If she had
called me up to tell me that
earlier.
Finally, at 1:30,1 was es
corted back to a holding
room where a nurse asked
more questions, took blood
pressure, etc. Then she said
they were going to take x-
rays of my knee, which they
did. She stated that the doctor
would be in soon to see me.
At 2:00, the doctor ap
peared, rushed and apolo
getic. She told me the results
of my x-rays and proposed
treatment for my knee issue.
We decided on a cortisone
shot and she left for the nurse
to prep everything. The doc
tor reappeared and promptly
gave me the shot, then the
visit was over, and she was
on to someone new.
Mind you, I appreciate a
professional’s time. I know
how much schooling one
(USPS 431-820)
Published by Pickens County Progress, Inc.
94 North Main Street, Jasper, GA 30143
(706) 253-2457
www.pickensprogressonline.com
DAN POOL
Publisher/Editor
Published each Thursday at Jasper, Pickens County, Georgia.
Entered at the Post Office at Jasper, Georgia 30143
as Mail Matter of Second Class.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to
PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS, 94 N. Main St., Jasper, GA 30143.
One Year Subscription: $41.17 for residents of Pickens County
or the cities of Ball Ground, Fairmount, and Ranger;
$52.30 for all other Georgia residents; $62.32 out of state residents.
goes through to become a
physician and that is why I do
my best to respect their time
by coming early and pre
pared.
On the other hand, my
time is valuable too. At my
age, I never know how much
time I have left so time is pre
cious to me. Why can’t others
acknowledge that and respect
my time as well? They could
improve if they only asked
us.
Here are some things I
think would help:
• Greet me as you would a
friend. I am a client and if
you are rude, I may not come
back as I have other choices.
• If the doctor is running
late, tell me prior to my ap
pointment time so I know I’ll
have to wait a bit longer. As I
said, earlier, I am a reason
able person, and I will under
stand. Just don’t leave me
hanging in the waiting room.
• When I’m checking out,
thank me for my business. A
greased wheel does not
squeak!
I hope my next visit to this
doctor goes better. If it does,
I’ll most likely stay with that
practice. If not, I may go
elsewhere because my time is
valuable too!
[Mary Migliaro con
tributes regular to the
Progress as both a columnist
and with family advice
columns. She may be reached
at maiymigliaro@aol.com.]
#lbc ikljool
O'NeiLL OUTDOORS
BY O'NIGILL WILLIAMS
Let Sleeping
Bears lie
{O’Neill’s column appears
twice monthly in the
Progress,}
My little studio office
from where we transmit the
live “O’Neill Outside” radio
show down to WSB in At
lanta is in our bottom floor
basement below the main
floor of the cabin which lies
at the junction on Dawson
and Pickens counties on Sas
safras Mountain.
When having WIFI tune-
up and maintenance from
time-to-time, the local tele
phone guy has to work from
there out to the wiring con
nections under the porch
above.
About the first of Febru
ary or so, he was visiting and
making a few adjustments
outside the back door from
the office. He exited to begin
his work then popped back in
rather wide eyed and a bit ex
cited.
“O’Neill, did you know
you have a bear under your
porch,” an unusual statement
- Matter of fact, I’ve never
been told that before.
Well, this immediately re
quired a brief inspection. A
flashlight aided view re
vealed a female black bear
huddled behind a concrete
wall and under the planking
of the porch.
So, whataya do?
I chose nothing in the
short term. It did not appear
that the WIFI work would be
incumbered, so he proceeded
with his work and exited.
I placed a small battery
powered motion activated
camera about 10 feet away
and pointed it in her direc
tion. We see her almost daily
moving around but never
over 2 or 3 feet from a sitting
position. Since that day
sometime in February, she
has not exited her little ‘den’.
With some effort and pa
tience, I can see through the
porch boards that she was
still there with two babies in
early April. We’ll, they were
babies, now I’d call them
cubs. She looks up through
the board spacing and give
me the ‘eye’ and snorts a
quiet ‘warning’.
WEATHER
Not thinking that they rep
resent a threat to us or our
By William Dilbeck
HI LOW RAIN
property, I telephoned the
Georgia Department of Nat
April
04
75
55
.00
ural Resources for advice.
April
05
83
61
.00
They visited, confirmed
April
06
77
54
.25
the bear’s presence, and ad
April
07
69
44
1.46
vised as best they could, that
April
08
47
39
.76
no action would be the best
April
09
62
41
.00
action and that our bears
April
10
64
40
.00
would likely leave in April.
As of April 4th, they’re
still here. The camera has not
indicated any exits for food
or water. Think about that,
about 7 or 8 weeks without
water or food.
Mountain life is unusual
and can be exciting.
Find out more or contact
the writer at
O'NeillOutside.com.
If you spot an
error let us know
dpool@
pickensprogress.com
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PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE
PICKENS COUNTY AND THE
CITIES OF JASPER, NELSON,
TALKING ROCK
UPDATE OF JOINT
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Pickens County and the cities of Jasper,
Nelson, and the town of Talking Rock
have prepared a draft five-year update of
their Joint Comprehensive Plan for 2023-
2028 according to the 2018 Minimum
Planning Standards set by the Georgia De
partment of Community Affairs, and by
the Georgia Planning Act of 1989.
Accordingly, a joint public hearing is
scheduled for the county and cities to ac
cept comments on the draft Joint Compre
hensive Plan Update for Pickens County
and the cities of Jasper, Nelson, and the
town of Talking Rock. The draft plan was
prepared by Pickens County and the cities
of Jasper, Nelson, and the town of Talking
Rock with guidance from a Stakeholder
Committee of public and private sector in
dividuals. After the public hearing and re
ceipt of public comment, the draft plan
will be submitted for review by the North
west Georgia Regional Commission and
the Georgia Department of Community
Affairs. Plan approval by June 30, 2023,
is required to maintain Qualified Local
Government (QLG) status for each local
government per the Georgia Planning Act
of 1989, allowing continued eligibility for
State loans, grants, or permits for another
five years.
The public hearing will be held on April
20, 2023 in the County Commissioner’s
Conference Room at 5:00 pm at the
Pickens County Government Building,
1266 East Church Street, Suite 168,
Jasper, Ga 30143.