You never know what the day will bring at the Houlton Pioneer Times newspaper office. Some days it seems like there is not a thing going on anywhere and nobody is out and about. Those days leave me digging through the list of story ideas filed away in my little notebook as I try to come up with something … anything … to write about.
Other days, it can be a non-stop with phone calls, emails or people stopping in with “I think you should do a story on …” Those are also the days when breaking news events such as big fires or accidents tend to happen, like last week’s tragic plane crash here in Houlton.
And then there are days when you have a visitor stop in to share some information that doesn’t fall into any news category, but is neat nonetheless. Such was the case last week when a gentleman named Don Peabody from Woodstock, New Brunswick stopped in our office to share a really great feel good story.
Peabody was in Houlton to get some gas at one of the local service stations. It is something he has done numerous times, taking advantage of lower gas prices here in the U.S. After pumping about $40 into his vehicle, Peabody discovered that he did not have his wallet with him.
Not knowing what to do, Peabody explained his situation to the clerk, promising he would send them the money as soon as he got back home. During these tight economic times, I’m sure it is a story that is heard by clerks at gas stations far more often than one would think.
To Peabody’s, and the clerk’s, surprise, a man standing behind him waiting in line opened up his wallet and covered the purchase. No questions asked. This individual was not someone that Peabody knew, but that did not seem to matter. This kind person simply told him to “square up with him” the next time he stopped in for gas.
It is difficult to imagine something like this happening in a larger city, like Bangor or Portland. It is one of the many reasons Aroostook County, and in particular Houlton, truly is a wonderful place to live.
Is this community perfect? Of course not. No community is. Are there issues here that didn’t exist a decade ago? Absolutely. Drugs and violent crimes exist in practically every city and town. And they always have. It is only because of advances in media technology that people are now far more aware of their surroundings. If you want to read news about any community, anywhere in the world, all one has to do is search it out on the Internet.
That news is often filled with lots of things that some people view as negative. We often hear, “Why do you only publish the bad news?” It’s stories like Mr. Peabody’s that can remind us all that there is indeed good things happening in your local community.
Joseph Cyr is a staff writer for the Houlton Pioneer Times. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper. He can be reached at 532-2281 or by email at pioneertimes@nepublish.com
