20. One final question: It is often said that the quality of life in our community is highly attractive and unusual. Do you believe this to be true? (If yes): What are the three or four things about our community that you most value and make you want to continue living here?
There are a whole host of things that make this place special. To begin we have a beautiful out-door environment: the mountains, trees, lakes, rivers, and streams. We also have an interesting culture, made so by the great variety and backgrounds of people who decide to live here. I have lived in a lot of places—New York, LA, San Francisco, small cities and suburbs—and conclude that one of the unique things about being here is the feeling that we are all in it together. You easily get to know a lot of people in our community, so you really feel connected. Somehow the closeness of our community fosters an attitude of wanting to give back to it.
In a smaller community you can also see how you make a difference. If you do something in a larger community and never see the results, it’s kind of like shoveling sand at the beach and watching it wash away. In a smaller community you see the impact and get feedback on the positive difference you can make. My wife and I also enjoy the countless cultural and arts opportunities that are here, and the fact that we are close enough to two airports that we can get to them in an hour or hour and a-half. So part of the reason for being here is that there is no sense of being isolated from the larger world when we want to get to it.
21. Is there anything else you’d like to ask or add before we close?
No. Thanks for the opportunity of being interviewed.
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We encourage you to review the other essays contained in this issue of The Future of Coaching. Following are the links to each of these essays:
The Social and Cultural Characteristics of Generational Age Groups
Searching for Vitality: Coaching through the Lenses of Adult Development Theory and Research
A Developmental Perspective in Coaching
The Book Shelf: George Vaillant, Triumphs of Experience
Coaching Across the Generations: Questions to Ponder Based on Research/Theory
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