More to Waseca than meets the eye

School–that is, college–starts in a week. I moved in on Monday; walking around campus it has been enlightening to see all the little freshmen with hopeful eyes taking in the big campus. In addition to their wide eyes, the newbies are easily spotted because many of them are wearing matching shirts or sporting the classic freshman lanyard the U of M hands out. Many are walking around with their parents–who seem as lost as they are. 

I remember being in their place. I thought campus was easily maneuvered and something I’d just have to become familiar with. I had no inkling about all the secrets and hidden areas of campus. As the school year went on I would randomly see a building I had never noticed before. Or a nice grassy area I realized would be nice for studying outside. And then there were the underground  tunnels connecting buildings. Those were difficult to understand at first as I would get lost moving from one structure to another. 

As a person becomes more comfortable with their surroundings they start to see things differently. It’s true for me and students on campus but it’s also true for other things–including living in Waseca. 

I’ve lived in this town my whole life. Growing up, I knew that a lot of people who live in Waseca also grew up here: I never understood why folks would want to come back and make their home here. While Waseca is great, I’ve always wanted to get out and see new things. 

But coming back from high school and working at the paper has opened my eyes to things I never noticed before. For example, going to the city council and county commissioner meetings helped me realize how much behind-the-scenes work goes into keeping our communities appealing. Many people work very hard to help Waseca continue to be a great county to live in as they work on improving and maintaining…well…everything. 

I’ve taken particular notice of the number of parks in Waseca. In high school and growing up as a child, the only parks I really knew about were the more popular ones in town, like the Northeast Park by the water complex and Trowbridge. I also knew about Blowers Park just northeast of town because I live right next to it. My impression was always that no one knew about it; when my family and I would go walking there along the beautiful trails almost every night after dinner we would never encounter anyone. For the longest time I didn’t even know that Courthouse Park existed, a shortcoming I regret. 

But, in the last year especially, I have learned that there is a side to Waseca apart from the superficial and exterior view. There are the people who make up our community. Their dedication, their contributions, their support are all elements I have never really appreciated until now. 

Waseca is made up of the amazing people living in it. My dad works for the city, so my entire life it’s been a given that he knows essentially everyone in Waseca and they all know him. This past year I’ve come to realize that I am now in a similar situation:  I have come to know a lot of people and some of them know me. Even though it maybe shouldn’t, it still surprises me when someone mentions having read my columns and stories,  or brings up something about me that I’ve included in my columns. It still doesn’t feel real sometimes. 

But that’s just the thing. As I’ve explored Waseca and its people as an adult, I’ve come to an appreciation that I haven’t experienced before. All of the sweet and caring people who come into the Pioneer office are such a pleasure to talk with. I know other reporters at the paper feel the same way, but we love hearing your stories. It’s such a treat to know that there are so many good people in Waseca who care a lot about the town and the county and the people in it. 

And yet there’s so much more to Waseca I haven’t explored yet. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll figure it out when I come to it. Now I understand why people who grow up in Waseca decide to stay in Waseca. 

Maybe the freshmen here at campus will start to see the things on campus they haven’t realized before. Or experience the nice parts of college that can’t be understood by folks who haven’t been there and encountered them.

My Determination: “It's strange indeed how memories can lie dormant in a man's mind for so many years. Yet those memories can be awakened and brought forth fresh and new, just by something you've seen, or something you've heard, or the sight of an old familiar face.” ― Wilson Rawls, Where the Red Fern Grows