ParkCivility.com

I am honored to be in Leadership Park City Class XVII.
Firstly, I would like to apologize to my class for not doing more in their Civility Project. It is a project which is very close to my heart and one of extreme importance. I have been really busy, but that is no excuse.
More importantly I would like to acknowledge and thank those in our class who have done so much towards making the Civility Project such a success. Well done to you all.
We moved to Park City a few years ago from South Africa, a beautiful country, but one which is having its challenges with crime and corruption. We love Park City and all it has to offer. This is now our home. We have bought a house, a business and joined a great local church. Life is good.
But we want to keep it that way. This is where Civility comes in. The project has influenced my daily life immensely. When I am driving I am always courteous to other road users. On the trails I respect others. Whenever I get the opportunity I will hold the door open for others. It is so rewarding to be friendly, respectful and good mannered. A smile goes a long way. If we all behave in a civil manner, Park City will remain the wonderful place it is today. Please try it; you will be amazed and so will others.
Being part of the Leadership Class has been one of the most rewarding things that has happened to me since relocating. I have learnt so much from it and met so many amazing local people. It is great! Now looking forward to the City Tour ...
Thanks again to my Class for all your hard work on this project. You have made a difference. You rock!
William Broome
Leadership Class XVII

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha taught us how to spell it; here's how to live it.
Like the song says, everybody needs and wants a little respect. Respect isn't a passive virtue but an active one. It's generosity, tolerance and empathy in action. When we honor and respect others, we acknowledge and celebrate our diversity and our shared humanity. When we respect the environment and are gentle to animals, we acknowledge the chain of life. Best of all, respect is as natural as breathing, as contagious as a smile and as rewarding as life itself. Choose civility and respect other people's:
Time and space.
Opinions and beliefs.
Cultures and creeds.
Weakness and
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limitations.
Perspective and circumstance.
All civility starts with respect. Don't just learn how to spell it. Learn how to live it. Park Civility -- pass it on.
Matt Lindon

As the season of civility is upon us in Park City, I must tell a story that truly exemplifies the "Pay Attention" tenet of civility. Stacey Roberts, a Parkite, went to the Jordanelle Reservoir a few weeks back to break in her new kayak. Once there, the conditions were too windy for an enjoyable paddle, so Stacey was just sitting on the beach soaking up the first rays of summer sun.
Near her on the shore was a large extended family enjoying a picnic. Many of the children in the party were hopping in and out of the water. One young boy, maybe 5 years old, grabbed a kayak paddle and climbed into his uncle's kayak. Unfortunately, the kayak was not anchored nor tethered to the shore. In a matter of minutes, the boy was out of the cove driven by wind and current. He didn't know how to paddle and began to panic. His uncle and father jumped in to swim after him but the 52-degree water temperature and the rapid progression of the kayak into the main channel made their efforts fruitless.
At this point, Stacey, an ex-lifeguard, was already heading to her kayak to respond. In a matter of seconds she was in the kayak, rapidly paddling after the boy. Upon reaching the boy, she attempted to get him to paddle or to hold on to her boat but he was nonresponsive and still very upset.
Stacey quickly remembered she had a tow line in her boat and secured the boy's kayak to hers. To calm the boy and make sure, when her back was turned, he was okay, she asked him to sing a song to her.
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This worked to calm him and distract him from the situation. After paddling against the strong wind for 10 minutes, Stacey finally reached the shore to very relieved parents, aunts and uncles.
To pay attention, we must be aware of the world and people around us, basically stepping outside of ourselves to truly see what is happening around us, in the now. I applaud Stacey's ability to examine her surroundings, assess the unfolding danger to a little boy in a kayak and to respond effectively to the situation. If all Parkites, like Stacey, paid attention to their surroundings and acted responsibly when needed, imagine how this would improve Park City.
Katie Snyder
Leadership Class 17

During this Season of Civility I was privileged to join thirteen other members of Mountain Life Church on a short-term mission trip to Ecuador. We worked with a jungle village called Shandia to build a discipleship training center.
The scattered wood and concrete buildings in Shandia are isolated from most worldly distractions. I observed that the Christian community was extraordinarily loving and inclusive, reminiscent of the church described by Paul in the New Testament. They work with, and for each other, and the will of the many supersedes that of any individual. This is the reasoning behind their tradition of minga, or workday, when the entire community rallies to accomplish a collective project.
Most of the locals I worked with weren't receiving any financial compensation. They were grateful for the slightest bit of help, even from gringos who were clueless about what they were doing. I never saw any of these diligent villagers overcome with anger. They understand the value of communicating fully, with gestures and minute expressions, going deep in their connections. I remember my tacit agreement with a man name Orlando, wearing a blue shirt and white cap covered in moist jungle sweat, to relieve each other of our burdens. A sharp head nod sufficed to prompt one of us to resume shoveling furiously to mix a heterogeneous pile of cement and sand. I never hesitated, and pushed forward enthusiastically of my own accord, to buy someone else another sweet second of reprieve. Everyone else did the same, and there were some Shandians who never seemed to stop working, even long after the gringos turned in for the day. I burn to use this desire, this eagerness to help, without hesitation and in an immediate, tangible way
This mindset is the core of the third tool of civility, be inclusive, which urges all citizens to work for the good of the community. Too often we work only for the good of ourselves, for the next letter grade or paycheck, fixated on the end. Shandians, and hopefully the Parkites of the future, view people as more than an end, and invest in lasting relationships that recognize the intrinsic qualifications of individuals.
With this collaboration, I hope to sacrifice my resources when they are needed for the greater good. I believe that the challenges our community faces will be consistently overcome. Choosing civility is a call to action to make the world a better place.
Caleb Diehl
Park City High School
Park City Leadership Class XVII

During this "Season of Civility," I encourage you to try minding your own business. If you really think about it, most of what we get upset about is none of our business and we can't change it anyway. Getting upset about the little things we cannot change and that will not change only leads to personal anger, rage and a really bad day. How much pain do we cause ourselves by minding "their" business? We let ourselves be miserable over things they are doing. That's why I am trying to mind my own business.
Here's an example: I was driving in my car and came to a four- way stop. Another driver pulled up after me, slowed a bit, then gunned it through the intersection, cutting me off as he made a left turn in front of me. Feeling the anger bubble up from within, I felt the urge to say my favorite expletive as he sped past. What I really wanted was for that driver to change, to obey the rules, to respect that I was there first, but the only thing that I could really do was change the way I experienced the situation.
While it was true that I got to the stop first, was it really worth making myself miserable over the actions of another? Instead, I decided to mind my own business. I found something good in that person: "I liked the color of his car" and "he had really awesome sunglasses."
It's the same with most things. As we let go of things that we cannot change and mind our own business, we start to feel the weight lift. We can only change ourselves, from within, by
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listening to our thoughts and not attaching negative feeling to them.
Make a decision to let it go. Start to question your thinking, because that is the only thing you can change.
Civility -- THINK about it

Colin DeFord

Park City has seen its share of hard times. Thirty years ago this month the Silver King Coalition building burned down. Many newcomers and visitors aren’t aware that a tall, rusty red, faded building once stood on Park Avenue at the bottom of Eighth Street. But locals who were here the summer of 1981 or who grew up in the shadow of the Coalition Building remember the day it burned. Though Parkites mourned its passing, there was a sense of gratitude that the rest of the town hadn’t burned, too, as it had in 1898.

This summer Park City Leadership Class 17 has been discussing what “civility” really means. Working at the Park City Museum, I have had the privilege of visiting with folks who were born and raised here, from the 19-teens (Leland Paxton turns 98 on July 26) to the 1960s.

Most have moved away, but many return to visit. These “Old Timers” have various, wonderful memories, but the message that almost always comes out is, “We didn’t have anything — nobody did. But we all helped each other out.”

Fire destroyed many a home and business in this wood-frame town; mining accidents claimed heads of household; economic depressions forced people out of work and, later, out of town. But Parkites and fraternal orders held dances and meals for fundraisers; they pitched in for new high school band uniforms during the Great Depression; they nursed their neighbors in the Miners Hospital. They did all this despite “not having anything.”

The Coalition Building symbolized the town’s mining legacy. The remaining historic buildings help us all remember where we’ve come from, what our heritage is, and, perhaps, who we can continue to be — good neighbors. Parkites haven’t always agreed with each other, but we can help each other when times are tough, or just because.

Park City may not be the roughand- tumble town it used to be, and difficulties may disguise themselves in different ways today, but we can still reach out to our neighbors and show that we’re the same, caring, civil community.

Emily Beeson

Park City Leadership Class 17

On Monday night Leadership Park City gave out its first civility card to Julie Hooker, a teacher who has made anti-bullying her personal mission. Since our project, Park Civility, first launched, I have been thinking about what makes it relevant for me. I keep returning to the idea of personal responsibility and one of our tools of civility: Take Responsibility (for more tools, visit parkcivility.com ).
Some have suggested the proper activation of this project is to identify and reprimand those who don't act civilly. It seems reasonable why not focus on those who are the problem? That idea never sat well with me. As a group, we used a quote from Mahatma Gandhi to guide the mission of our project: "Be the change you want to see in the world." I love the way this brings responsibility back to each of us. It's easy to point fingers and accuse others of wrongdoing, but it's much more difficult to take responsibility and make small changes on our own that can make a larger impact on our community.
When I was a little girl and went walking or hiking with my dad, he always picked up trash along the trail or curb. I thought this was insane (and dirty!); why would he clean up a mess that he had not made? Now I understand the pride that he had in our community. I hope I can pass along these same values to my son even though he may think it's a little nuts to pick up trash.
I can't help but think about that old proverb: If everyone sweeps in front of his own front door, all the world would be clean. I challenge everyone to think about the small ways that they can impact their families, neighborhood and community. Acting on these ideas will bring about the change that we hope to see in Park City to become an even kinder and, yes, more civil place.
Jennifer Pentes
Leadership Park City XVII

Now that I've been introduced to Leadership Park City's Civility Project, I'm more aware than ever of the simple acts of civility that make my life better every single day.
For example, often, people see me almost half a block away from the crosswalk on Bittner Road. Rather than continuing, they stop, wait, wave and smile when I pass.
Yesterday, walking with a dog on the trail behind Newpark, I encountered three construction workers using nail guns and hammers. The dog was skittish. Sensing her uncertainty and fear, the contractors stopped, smiled, apologized and waited for us to pass.
Last week, my neighbor cleaned up the dog poop in our common area. It wasn't from her dogs -- it was the icky leftovers from people who don't pick up after their dogs.
There are so many simple acts of civility that I've taken for granted. Thank you Leadership Park City for reminding our town to recognize simple civility.
Julie Hooker
Teacher and dog walker