I’ll be quite frank with you all. I’ve been irritable this past week, and I didn’t know why. My bank account looked its best in months. My physical health is improving with my efforts to hit the gym more frequently, and now JWP and Trinity are back in session, which means more work for me and, more specifically, more of the type of work I enjoy.
So, why was I so cranky?
Change is hard. It’s happening around us all the time. I feel like nearly every single facet of my life has changed in the past few years. I’ve been here long enough now to consider this job my career. I also feel myself finally rejecting fast food; I still have my weak moments. But boy, a chicken salad with strawberries and fresh mozzarella has never tasted so good in my entire life.
The winds of change are blowing again. In March, Janesville’s Mayo Clinic shut down due to “staffing issues.” Covid-19 set the ball in motion for everything to suffer because you couldn’t go out. The “staffing issue” was the death knell for our clinic.
At least Janesville has some alternative with Heartland Healthcare. Now, Waterville and New Richland’s clinics have closed “due to flooding” from our historic rainfall this June. I have also seen reports that Mayo closed two more clinics in Blooming Prairie and Alden. That’s five clinics shut down within a 25-mile radius just this year. Which location will be next? Wells?
Partisan politics aside, I saw some speculation that this is connected to the struggle of small towns. I think many have a point to make this connection. Things are changing. Small towns used to exist because it wasn’t always common to travel long distances (and by that, I mean up to half an hour to run an errand). Going to bigger cities like Waseca or Mankato may have been more of a treat or special occasion than a necessity.
Smaller towns like ours are losing their identity. At least, that’s what many think when clinics start shutting down and only doing so in rural communities. When I moved to Janesville in late 2006, Cahill’s Pharmacy was on the corner of Main and First Streets. That hasn’t been there in several years. New Richland lost its pharmacy in 2019. I remember a place called Jethro’s existing where you could play video games, chill with your friends, and get malts and chili dogs for only $5. That place shut down as I was finishing 8th grade. Wiste’s Meat Market was a grocery store. Now, we have to go to Waseca for groceries, and even then, Walmart is the only place in Waseca with a legitimate grocery section with the closure of HyVee followed by the closure of Cash Wise Foods (The liquor store still exists, though. Talk about having your priorities in the right place.).
These days, most small towns I pass by have two things going for them: churches (at least one per 75 residents) and bars (usually one per 100 residents). They get a bonus for having a community center. I think that’s why there’s such a mad dash for pickleball courts, disc golf courses, multiple parks, and even an amphitheater (at least in Janesville’s case). Most people shouting from the rooftops that small towns are struggling are usually the ones traveling to larger cities like Austin or Mankato, not because it’s necessary to get the groceries in those towns but simply because that’s where their friends and entertainment are.
Change is hard. It’s not easy for anyone or any group to deal with. My brain doesn’t like me trying to give up fast food visits a handful of times a week, especially when traveling. But it’s what’s essential for my overall health. Perhaps the question for small towns is this: Is it okay to embrace being a bedroom community, or is it more vital to have an identity? Maybe a better, more simplified question is, what is the future of small towns? Only time will tell.
Just a quick congratulations for Northern Illinois University for defeating Notre Dame this past Saturday. Notre Dame was ranked #5 in the Top 25 college football teams and were 28-point favorites. It’s one of the biggest upsets in college football history. Rank NIU above Notre Dame or kick the Fighting Irish out of the Top 25.