Looking on the Bright Side
Walmart to close four stores in Wisconsin.
What does that mean to Lake Geneva and the surrounding areas? Nothing because none of the closures are close by. But it might have. Although Walmart has grown to over twelve thousand stores, and there is another Walmart in Delavan, it would be devastating if the Lake Geneva store was to close. And this concern, this ‘dodging a bullet,’ kind of thinking is what occurs having big box stores come in and replace the small stores that used to sell products in all the areas pervasively and protectively covered by Walmart.
What happens when the big box store that ran everyone else out of town runs out of town itself?
What happens can be easily predicted simply by looking back in time at the fate of so many small vibrant towns across the United States when the railroads stopped stopping in their towns. When the great Interstate freeway system was finished and all the towns living off of the traffic flow along Route 66 dried up like tumbleweeds but never moved an inch. Communities must begin becoming much more involved in what businesses are opening and how they are planning to do their business. It’s not just about the money. It’s about life itself and how representative government can assure that small towns and villages not only survive but also thrive.
The intensity of wind driven sub-zero temperatures. What can you do to warm up when the walls of your home pass the cold on through even when the thermostat is raised? You can eat something really fattening, like a stick of butter. Seriously, your stomach will convert the butter very quickly to sugar and the sugar will suffuse itself through your system to fight the cold. It takes much more energy to endure the cold than most people think. When people freeze to death they generally die because they lost all their energy. The cold slows everything down and you need energy to bring yourself back up to speed.
Dress really warm in layers, not because you plan on being out in the cold. Today’s buildings and cars are remarkably well equipped to fend off the cold. Dress warmly because you never know when you might be stuck out in the elements when you didn’t plan to be (like car accidents and mechanical failure). Don’t be afraid to wave people down or ask for help if you are cold and stuck somewhere or beginning to slow down so much you can’t make it to where you are going. Wisconsin people are amazingly helpful and very generous with their time. In Wisconsin everyone knows we are all in this together. Don’t worry about gaining weight in the most vicious part of a Wisconsin winter. Worry about getting through alive! You can worry about your looks later.