Reflecting on my life from a newfound perspective on the other side of the hill, I can see that I have been literally encompassed by hard-charging, A-type, ambitious personalities since childhood. My formative education was at a New England style, all boys, college preparatory school, where very high expectations in academics, sports, and extracurricular activities were set. I tried to roll that intensity back a touch in my college years, but the daily grind of creatives and fine arts education knows no professional time boundaries. I tried to roll that fervor back again by working as a ski instructor and fly-fishing guide, only to meet some of the highest-functioning people on the planet and, by necessity, adapt to their pace to keep the day positive and remain employed. Albeit unwillingly, this background set me up well for an entrepreneurial mindset and has helped me professionally, but man, some folks, particularly in Utah and the Wasatch Back, just need to practice what they preach and chill out!

Cacti get it. These guys are nature’s tribute to toughness and longevity. Once established, most can endure heat, cold, wet, or dry conditions. They are covered with passive self-defense mechanisms. Most cacti grow very slowly: they pace, they rest, they replenish. They will store water and spend it responsibly during periods of scarcity. Ironically, if a cactus takes in more water than it can absorb, the plant body often ruptures from the swelling, causing permanent injury or death. Once established, the balanced practice of growth, rest, and replenishment strategically allows cacti to endure most any hardship. I can think of no other plant or animal that is better suited to the various harshness of Earth’s reality.

The ‘hard charger’ persona might look at a cactus, compile a surface observation in the less than three seconds allotted to such minutiae as a ‘highly effective person,’ and think about being a prick. If one pauses for a genuine moment of thoughtful reflection, cacti employ a slow, adaptable, and intentional method that leads to better long-term outcomes and ultimately to survival in a harsh, ever evolving ecosystem. This is one of my many fascinations with cactI, and the primary attribute I like to remind myself to emulate while tending to my garden.

Soil conditions are critically important to the success of any plant. Different soils suit different needs, but a common thread is that all soil eventually needs replenishing. Natural replenishment happens with nutrients and rest. Composting and ‘resting’ soils in the winter season creates a beneficial soil biome and leads to far more productive growth and yields. While it is true that an artificial injection of chemical fertilizer will boost outcomes for a season, those crops do not thrive perennially. Chemical fertilizer sparks a spike in growth, but it is a short lived and poorly visioned strategy. The natural soil biome eventually disintegrates amidst the salinity, and all life becomes dependent on the next injection.

Organic winter gardens teach us that rest is not necessarily laziness—it’s preparation. Henry Miller, a somewhat controversial American writer of philosophical fiction and social criticism in the Second World War era, stated:

To be silent the whole day, see no newspaper, hear no radio, listen to no gossip, be thoroughly and completely lazy, thoroughly and completely indifferent to the fate of the world, is the finest medicine a man can give himself.

In the ancient B.C.E. period of my life (Before Children Enveloped), I was pretty good at the concept of rest and replenishment. I loved afternoons spent in leaf diffused light scattered across my Peruvian blanket style hammock, reading paperback editions of dystopian science fiction I acquired at the local thrift store. I became a very proficient fly fisherman, which in my reality was a lot more based in ‘Norman Maclean’ or ‘John Gierach’ romanticism than the Zoomer, catch-at-all-costs, ‘bro’ edition, fly-guy released in the mid 2000’s. I would travel to remote places and immerse myself in full-day explorations, sometimes longer, without any interaction beyond entomological curiosities, piscatorial presentations, and canine companionship. I trained myself as a fine artist to have a studio ‘sanctuary.’ An artist’s studio is like the mainstream concept of a “man-cave” or “she-shed,” except it is designed as an intellectual oasis for reflection and pondering. I would read, eat, nap, and bring ideas to life in my studio. Outside of the dog, I almost never let others into that personal, introspective space.

But alas, middle-aged life goals wiggled free and emerged like a spring Blue Winged Olive nymph from under a cold water stream’s tumbled rock bed, and the self-containment and self-mastery life model and all of its color-chromatically organized precision was traded in for the wonderful and fulfilling chaos of family life. Further goals included self-employment, then staff, and long term investment strategy. One day, not long ago, I woke up, looked at myself, and realized I had become “the man” to at least two generations below me and a handful of my peers. What a surreal epiphany for a guy who once lived in a backpacking tent for three months!

Amidst the chaos of whatever tier of life you find yourself, and enduring our ‘oh-so-connected’ modern society, we must periodically detach from the very thing that provides our daily bread if we want a healthy, naturally grounded, metamorphic headspace that has generationally connected our species to our planet. Most of our homes require dual incomes to sustain in our region. As a consequence, our children are being raised by the state, and the ‘connection’ being taught is to Wi-Fi networks, not to the naturally stabilizing tactics of rest and replenishment. We throw in hurry-up-and-relax yoga classes on a timer, talking points about self-care from entities that care only about profit margins, and government-stamped rack cards promoting mental health. Such efforts are considerate and well-intentioned, but the one thing that truly heals does not fall within the allowable constraints of a corporate benefits package or of the internet backed precision timepiece that monitors your personal production on the company hamster wheel.

It is a backwards reality, and I do not have a magic equation to change society’s priorities, the methodology of our governmental institutions, or the Western banking system. My best poke at building a healthier community is to promote awareness and lead by example, hoping that some will change their outlook enough to unplug from the Matrix. Yet behold! Some insist “ignorance is bliss” and just want steak, whatever the cost.

Life can be easier if you simply let the channel current guide your thoughts and actions. Many choose to submit to the current and get sucked downstream in that particular river crossing, but not me. I will choose a calculated course, with the current at my back and my posterity in the eddy I create, to overcome the channel and reach the other bank intact and with dry waders.

Most of us chose the Heber Valley to ‘reconnect’ with nature, but our hometown is becoming a downtown, and access to traditional charging outlets has changed with that growth. Utah’s popularity will not change in the foreseeable future, and our community will continue to evolve with that demand. What we have in greater abundance than most is proximity. Hot pots, solitary river walks on the Middle Provo, horseback rides on the benches, shooting cans in the canyons, or a Heber Valley deer hunt may be outside of reality at this point—but all is not lost, and many similar opportunities exist minutes away.

Be creative this spring. Embrace rebirth. Be adventurous. Get outside, rest, and replenish. Ponder. Be still. Learn to be comfortable within your own headspace. Life.. is a road, no simple highway, between the dawn and the dark of night. And when you go, no one may follow. That path is for your steps alone.¹ Strive to make your path memorable and noteworthy. Digital accomplishments are false victories subject to purge on the next software update. Real accomplishments happen in the real world. Choose to spend your time wisely and create higher level, sustainable personal yields.

¹Ripple, Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter, 1970.

In January 2021, David and Kayla Springer unexpectedly met Travis and Lisa Nokes while on a retreat in Mexico. They soon discovered they both had connections to Midway, Utah. The Nokes lived and worked there, and David’s great-great-great grandfather, Jeremiah Robey Springer, was one of the original settlers. David has always dreamed of living in Midway, and after speaking with the Nokes, he began the process of purchasing the Springer Farms. Since Travis and Lisa own businesses in real estate, architectural design, and construction, it was a perfect fit for the Springer’s to enlist their help. As they worked together on potential ideas for the land, a strong friendship was formed between the four of them. There was a shared ideal among them to turn this land into something special that honored David’s ancestors and the beautiful rural community of Midway in a way that reverenced the past as it moves into the future.

The Old Farm House

After bringing in another general contractor, building inspector, and structural engineer, it was clear that saving the original Farmhouse wasn’t feasible. The wood framing was so deteriorated it no longer touched the old, crumbling pot rock foundation on one side of the home. After much deliberation, the decision was made to take the home down and replace it with a replica, reusing the original materials.

Over four weeks, they carefully took the old windows, doors, brick, and siding from the home. They discovered that the back and side walls of the home were built of stacked, hand-hewn timbers. They were told by some local historians that these timbers were likely from Fort Midway, the very first structure built in the area. When Fort Midway was pulled down in the 1890’s, many local families took the timbers and used them to expand their homes. After removing much of the building materials by hand, the Springer’s prepared to remove the rest with the assistance of heavy machinery, a job that would typically take only a few hours to complete, but with consideration of the old timbers, it took a couple of days. Each timber was carefully and individually removed and set aside where they waited to become part of the new building. As the day approached for the backhoe to take the home down, Travis was surprised by the unusual level of emotional difficulty he was facing at this point in the process. On March 29, 2022, he wrote this journal entry:

“For the past 20+ years, I have been helping customers design and build homes, buy and sell homes, and update and renovate homes. I’m now doing something that I’ve never done before. We are taking this old home down. This home was built in the 1890’s by the Springer family. Today will be the day that this tired old home finishes its work on earth. I woke up very early this morning […] much more emotional than expected, thinking about this home and the process of today.

[…] I’ve been so focused on the logistical process of taking the home down, that I hadn’t given myself a chance to think about the emotional process or implications. I thought of the excitement for the family as the home was first built and the preparations that were made to move into it when it was finally finished. The family probably envisioned all the wonderful things that would happen in the home. They probably worried about how they would pay for it. I thought about the safety and “cover from the storm” that this home has provided. The Christmas mornings, the sound of little feet coming up and down the front steps to and from school. The 4th of July celebrations, and all of the dishes done and problems solved at the kitchen sink. All the nights parents stared at the bedroom ceiling, worried and wondering about their kids. […] I am very grateful to it for the service it has provided and the memories that still will live on in the kids, grandkids, and great grandkids in the Springer family.”

The New Farmhouse and Springer Farms

The new Farmhouse’s footprint and basic structure are as close to the original Farmhouse as possible. The old timbers that first stood as part of Fort Midway, and then used to give structure to the Springer home, now stand in a place of Prominence supporting the front patio. Some of the original windows are inside the main floor of the Farmhouse, and the soffit of the front porch is constructed from the old wood siding. The overall goal of this project was to create a building that looks like it has stood, belonging in downtown Midway, for 100+ years. The main floor of the Farmhouse will house a home decor store: Haven Haus Co., owned by local residents Jack and Diane Nelson. The top floor will serve as a two-bedroom nightly rental, hopefully as an extension of Midway homes when more room is needed for guests and family. The vision at Springer Farms is to provide space for businesses and services needed by the people of Midway. To meet these needs, the Nokes and Springer’s plan to build three additional buildings over the next three years, adding nine retail units and 17 nightly rentals. Locally owned businesses projected to join Springer Farms in 2024 are Folk and Fable Books and a nail salon, Lueur Salon.

Springer Farms’ goal is to preserve the charm of Midway as they create a space for this close-knit, supportive community to gather and strengthen bonds with friends and family. They are excited about the future of Springer Farms and what it will offer the Midway community over the next 120 years.

65 N 200 W, Midway
springerfarmsmidway.com

It’s back! After stepping away from Ladies Night Out for the last few years during the hospital’s construction and then COVID, we’re excited to welcome you back for Ladies Night Out 2023: Happy. Healthy. You. With special guest, Ann Romney. Heber Valley is where Ann rediscovered her love of horses and she wants to give back to our community and the women who call it home.

Ann will speak from 6 to 6:45 p.m. She’ll reflect on her health challenges with multiple sclerosis, early-stage breast cancer, how health challenges affect mental health and how women can take charge of their own wellbeing. After Ann’s fireside chat, you can mingle with local providers, gather health information, and enjoy delicious, healthy food.

The event will be held just outside the hospital on 1500 South. Seating capacity is 500.
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
6 – 8 pm
Heber Valley Hospital

Sure hope to see you! 

Fireside Chat with Ann Romney

Ann Romney is the two-time best-selling author of “The Romney Family Table” and “In This Together” and Global Ambassador for the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Mrs. Romney also sits on the Board of Directors of CharityVision, which focuses on empowering local physicians in the developing world to bring sight to those most in need. In 1998, Mrs. Romney was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She has volunteered much of her time to raise awareness of the disease. By raising the profile of MS, as well as raising funds for advocacy and research, she is determined to make a difference in the lives of people who suffer from the disease.
The Romneys have been married for 54 years. They have five sons, 25 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” Margaret J. Wheatley

Right now, it’s still just a wild field with two signs on opposite ends advertising a vision of what this land will become. The goal: to build a second high school alongside a technical college that will not only create exciting new learning and employment opportunities, but also accommodate the growing population of our beautiful valley. When ground was broken at the site on May 23 of this year, those involved in the project at every level—from builders to families to the board of education— expressed their desire for the new high school and technical college to be celebrated; something the community can unite over. From what I’ve witnessed, the project is already succeeding in that goal.

Change is always hard but is eased by sound planning and cooperative efforts. The population most affected by the change is, of course, the students. Children who will be entering Grade 6 in the coming 2023-2024 school year can expect to be the first freshmen class, and subsequently first graduates, of the new high school. This comes as welcome news to these younger students, as the current students at Wasatch High School are getting lost in the large class sizes. Wasatch High School presently accommodates almost 2,600 students in grades 9-12. According to the School District website, that number is expected to swell to roughly 3,231 students by the fall of 2026, when the new school is projected to open its doors.

Dividing the student population of the current high school in two will be an ongoing process, as even after the new school is completed, some students may prefer to stay and graduate from Wasatch High School. That school pride and loyalty is something the District hopes to foster. Each high school will have their own colors, mascot, and school culture in order to “help the students and staff build pride and an affinity for their individual school,” according to Kirsta Albert, the Public Information Officer at the Wasatch County School District.

Current plans for the nearly $170 million project have already been drawn up, and 3-D renderings drafted, all of which can be found on the Wasatch County School District’s website. The designs have literally taken shape for a group of students at the Wasatch Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program here in Heber. Under the direction of Gary Roberts, the engineering students are building scale models of the approved plans for the Mountainland Technical College and High School that will soon occupy the campus.

Mr. Roberts, who’s been teaching for nearly 30 years, was kind enough to show me around their creative classrooms and give me a unique glance into the students’ process back in April. When asked about his involvement, Roberts shakes his head and minimizes his role, telling me instead how “impressed” he is with these students. He jokes that people think a teacher is usually considered “the master of his domain,” but in this setting, he’s “more of an observer”. We discuss the students’ vision and what they believe will be the wonderful aspects of the new school site—the learning opportunities and jobs it will bring to this valley—as well as some of the downsides. Strains on building resources, as well as an increase in the recent housing shortage are thing the students discuss as part of their planning.

As with any large-scale project of this nature, there are many hundreds of hands working on it at any given time. More hands mean more opinions, which also means more debate and back-and-forth about design, infrastructure, etc. The CAPS students are taking it all in stride and are primarily focused on their model; basing it off the most complete information they can get their hands on. The architects send them design renderings as they complete them, and the students adjust the model, or plug the blueprint specifications into a 3D-printer for a more precise physical copy of each part of the buildings.

With the recent surge of demand on building materials and labor, the deadline for the school’s estimated finish time is at least three years out. Luckily, the demand on craft and modeling supplies isn’t as high. What is now glue, mat board, and foam will soon be concrete, brick, and mortar. Even on a tiny scale, where one inch equals 45 feet, the campus is impressive. The sports complex alone is a feat of design. Two new football fields, baseball and softball diamonds, and soccer fields mirror each other in both turf and grass. A separate sports facility, detached from the high school, will house wrestling, basketball, and volleyball courts, as well as provide space for other recreational activities.

The landscaping and design of the sport fields and facilities has fallen under the direction of Berg Landscape Architects, located in Midway. It is being directed by Carl Berg, a Heber City native, in partnership with Matthew Zierenberg, an agriculture teacher at Wasatch High whose students have been working on site to learn about preserving the creek bed and native flora. Both Berg and Ziereneberg have emphasized their desire to leave as much of the natural landscape as possible, and it’s clearly visible on the model and renderings.

A seamless transition from virgin land to educational campus is an admirable goal, and the district aims to make the transition to a new school equally seamless for both students and teachers. That includes having familiar faces at both high schools. The district plans to hire a combination of current teachers from Wasatch High, along with a number of additional teachers, to staff the new high school. Mountainland Technical College will hire their own qualified staff. The exact number of new hires will greatly depend on how many students opt to stay at Wasatch High School through graduation.

New jobs are wonderful for the economic growth of our valley, but also present a concern over where the new hires will live. Many will continue to commute, but others are hoping to buy homes in Heber Valley. When asked about current plans, Kirsta Albert said the School District is “actively working on solutions to help our teachers live and work in our community.” These programs include the “Grow Your Own” Teacher and School Counselor Pipeline, which helps identify local individuals who already work for the district in some capacity and can help them become certified as teachers or school counselors.

Housing has always been a part of the Wasatch CAPS program, and a separate group from those building the model are working in partnership with their peers taking the construction class at Wasatch High. The construction class offers students real world, hands-on building experience, and the CAPS students render the home’s blueprint designs. The construction class students build a house every year in the Heber Valley, and the CAPS students design it.

This type of ongoing inter-disciplinary, and inter-school, cooperation is what affords the students in our valley such a wonderful education. Having adult role models to mentor them on real-world projects, and watching the adults cooperate efficiently is a priceless experience. It fosters respect and healthy competition. It is indeed a wonderful thing to have an additional high school (as well as a technical college) that students from both high schools will have the opportunity to attend. Adult students in our community will also be able to further their own professional and educational goals through the Mountainland Technical College. These students will not only be prepared for higher education and professions, they will be prepared for life.

For further information on the new campus, refer to the School District’s website. Information on the Wasatch CAPS program can be found on their website. Interested in participating in the CAPS program? You’ll need to take Mr. Robert’s engineering class at Wasatch High as a prerequisite.

Fred Rogers’ hometown of Pittsburgh and the United States went through significant growing pains between the 1960s and the 1990s. The fabric behind the nation’s social and economic status quo was being stretched to its tearing point. Local industries were changing focus, and the residents’ livelihoods were consequently placed in tenuous situations. The kind of stress this type of pressure creates generally brings out behaviors that are not characteristic of our best selves. Poor behavior on a systemic level can slingshot a community, or nation for that matter, into a downward spiral of anger, pain, negativity, and increased poor behavior compounded over and over again upon itself.

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a manifesto disguised as children’s programming with low-budget hand puppets, crafty set props, and live improvisational piano work. Fred Rogers created a counter-movement to the media-incensed ugliness and divisiveness that was becoming a common tactic to increase engagement for advertising dollars. He sought to rebuild broken communities by teaching universal love, respect, and self-value — not the ‘my way, right away’ or ‘I deserve this’ kind of self-value, but the concept that every soul is unique, inherently precious, and should be treated as such. The topics the show addressed were complex, timely, and relevant. Skills traditionally taught in the home were made accessible through this television program to youth that may not have had a traditional home to call home. A generation of children learned how to be better people and more socially adjusted human beings by watching the programming Fred Rogers created.

An interesting observation I have found with age and experience is that human nature remains constant over time. Material conveniences evolve, but our natural impulses do not. I would wager that any history student enjoys connecting past events with the present and speculating about the future based on past occurrences. Is Fred Rogers’ mission as relevant today as it was four decades ago?

Several months ago, I came across a reboot of the ‘Trolley Problem’ or the ‘Bystander at the Switch’ dilemma originally explored in a 1967 philosophy paper by Philippa Foot. An anonymous Reddit user posted a philosophical litmus test in 2020 (a test that uses a single indicator to prompt a decision) called the ‘Shopping Cart Theory.’ The post reads as follows:

The shopping cart is the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing. To return the shopping cart is an easy, convenient task and one which we all recognize as the correct, appropriate thing to do. To return the shopping cart is objectively right. There are no situations other than dire emergencies in which a person is not able to return their cart. Simultaneously, it is not illegal to abandon your shopping cart. Therefore, the shopping cart presents itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it. No one will punish you for not returning the shopping cart, no one will fine you or kill you for not returning the shopping cart, you gain nothing by returning the shopping cart. You must return the shopping cart out of the goodness of your own heart. You must return the shopping cart because it is the right thing to do. Because it is correct. A person who is unable to do this is no better than an animal, an absolute savage who can only be made to do what is right by threatening them with law and the force that stands behind it. The Shopping Cart is what determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society.

Mr. Rogers once stated, “The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.” Honesty, much like the Shopping Cart Theory scenario, is a choice. The liberty to choose what is best for oneself is a fundamental right. Mr. Rogers also stated, “There’s a world of difference between insisting on someone’s doing something and establishing an atmosphere in which that person can grow into wanting to do it.” A citizen’s ability to self-govern (without compulsion or force) is necessary for a free society and one of the noblest goals an individual can achieve. A well-adjusted adult understands that you are ultimately accountable for yourself and your decisions alone. In other words — you have the innate freedom to choose and accept the natural consequence of your choices. If honest reflections about your ‘shopping cart decisions’ make you uncomfortable, a new opportunity is presented.

Sometimes behavior patterns become sticky. Repetitive behaviors create plastic neural pathways (or habits), which form ways that ultimately manifest as addiction. You have options if you are ready to acknowledge a problem and want to make a change. More wisdom from Fred Rogers suggests, “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” Don’t be afraid of change — embrace it — so long as it leads to a more upright version of ‘you.’ Depending on your obstacles, various local resources and individuals can help you achieve your goal of a better self.

The rewards are abundant to you and those around you if you can:

1) Validate that you are precious and unique.

2) Strive to be honest with your true self and those around you.

3) Make good choices.

“If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is some of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”  
– Fred Rogers

When you go about your days voluntarily doing good — you will discover your genuine value and enrich the lives of those around you.

What determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society?

“It’s not the honors and the prizes and the fancy outsides of life which ultimately nourish our souls. It’s the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is good stuff.”   – Fred Rogers

The downward spiral of negative thought and action can be reversed. All things have their opposite. Perhaps that downward spiral could be better described as a spiraling staircase that can be traveled in both directions. Daily gratitude, empathy, compassion, and patience could be likened to climbing the staircase. Choose wisely if you want to experience joy and make your community or home life a more “beautiful day in the neighborhood.”

“Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered,
as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person.”  – Fred Rogers

I am no ‘Fred Rogers,’ but I like who the guy was and what he represented to the society of my youth. Our problems today are eerily similar to many of the issues of the recent past. Real change begins at the local, even the home level. If we, as individuals, can embrace a more loving and positive outlook on everyone and everything, we can create the idyllic community that we all want Heber Valley to become.

Thank you for your ongoing support of Heber Valley Life magazine. I hope you find the stories to follow uplifting and that they help you visualize our community in the best way possible.

Michael grew up in Park City, so Heber wasn’t far from home. But Heber is where he chose to put some roots down and pour out his heart and soul. Over the years, they raised eight children, six from Fern’s first marriage and two more together, and welcomed eight foster children into their home. As Michael and Fern speak of their past, love of humanity fills their stories. I went into this interview knowing only I was about to talk with a county sheriff and two judges, yes, they both served as judges. The initial “power couple” story I had expected to find, became much more. The kind of power this remarkable couple wields is not only success in the realm of law and justice, but in love — lot’s of love. And love is powerful.

While the Spanos’ tried their best to assure me they are boring and have lived a quiet life of more than 50 years together, I chuckle and shake my head as they spin tales from Saskatchewan, Canada, South Africa, Singapore, and Heber City in the 1970s. Boring? I should think not. In fact, as they describe the Heber of the 70s I’m shocked! Heber Valley had no local dispatch! My jaw drops in disbelief as Michael tells how, “There was no number anyone in this county could call and get fire, ambulance, or police.” I can’t fathom having to call Coalville, who dispatched to the weigh station south of Heber, who then passed word along to someone in the valley for help. The jail was in the basement of the old county building on Main. The janitors served as the night jailers!

Michael served in the Air Force and obtained his first degree in Sociology with an emphasis in Criminology, Juvenile Delinquency, and Child Welfare from the University of Utah. He received his second degree in Law Enforcement and Corrections from Weber State University. Michael’s past experience and education served him and Heber Valley well throughout his 20 years as county sheriff and one year as a county judge. Michael shared, “I used my education. I didn’t have any real experience, but I saw things needed to change.” He ran for sheriff and was sworn in, January of 1979 and served two terms consecutively. He lost a third election, but ran again the next term and served another 12 years before retiring in September 2002.

Michael tells of times when they housed 20 prisoners in the 8 bed, basement prison. They purchased mattresses to lay on the floor. Heber needed a new facility to house prisoners and run the department. Michael began as sheriff with just three deputies. Where there’s a will, there’s a way; and Michael could plainly see Heber was in need of a new building and a dispatch. It was all a work in progress. Quaint as Heber City was, improvements were necessary. Michael began to spearhead the new building. He requested a build with 100 beds and a kitchen. It was an uphill battle. As an officer in the Utah Sheriff’s Association he made agreements and contracts with the United States Marshall Service and the Utah State Prison. He was able to arrange contracts, taking the first group of women out of State Prison and bringing them to Heber’s new jail, housing them for pay. The prisoners did all the cooking and cleaning. They began housing a number of detainees from both the Utah State prison and the Marshall’s Service. Michael also put together contracts with Midway and the Forest Service to patrol their areas to earn extra money adding revenue to his budget.

Other projects he took on in his time as sheriff included bringing Wasatch Search and Rescue up to speed with new equipment and beefing up their budget. Sheriff Spanos had Search and Rescue work the demolition derby to make a profit. He also initiated a fingerprinting safety campaign for children, along with programs like D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), and Stranger Danger within the elementary schools, in addition to implementing the McGruff Neighborhood Watch Program.

While Michael was working to improve the police department, Fern was not sitting idly by. Fern Spanos earned her Master’s degree in Psychiatric Social Work and spent time working in the University of Utah department of psychiatry. Fern also worked as a social worker/consultant for the government; she checked in on hospitals’ care for their long term patients. Additionally, she spent many years home with her children raising her family. As her children began school and leaving home she went to work teaching 8th grade here at Wasatch. During that time she began working part time as a city justice court judge.

Fern shared, “I would work at the schools and then run down to the court and work until I was through.” She worked as a teacher and a judge for 11 years. Eventually, she began longing for more flexibility. She stopped teaching and focused on her judgeship for the remaining 11 ½ years until she and Michael retired together. Fern speaks fondly about her time as a judge, “It was fun to help people. I was a social worker by training, and that helped me a lot more as a judge than the law did.”

In 2002 both Fern and Michael retired. They didn’t sit still long. The couple served several missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; starting in Saskatchewan, Canada. They worked primarily with the First Nations people. A highlight of Fern’s experience was writing the histories of some of the older women. Once she had completed her written work it was bound and gifted to the people. Their second mission was to Durbin, South Africa. They worked in the townships in the bush of Africa. The conditions were deplorable. Michael was emotional when he shared, “The worst thing about Africa was that the people were so hungry.” Fern expressed how hard it was to see them stark naked and hungry, especially the children. “Those children are so beautiful, and loving and well behaved.” She tenderly shared how the children would sit with her, rubbing her arms and face, fascinated by the feel and color of her skin. She would regularly get impetigo and have to stay away until her skin cleared up, but then she’d hurry back to be with the children again. Fern and Michael shared how the children were drawn to where there was food and the women would walk such far distances for water. They had to work so hard just to eat. Michael worked with the church leadership in Africa to support families in finding ways to encourage and help them. The couple discovered that the women had a difficult time relating to men, so Fern, with her social work background, would spend time with the women and families establishing their needs; then Michael would step in to facilitate the assistance and support.

Upon return to the states Michael had to have heart surgery along with other various medical procedures. Once he healed, a job as a county judge became available. He served for almost one year before they were called on another mission. This time it was Argentina. The call didn’t last long before they were reassigned to a Singapore mission instead. Again, they found themselves working with the native people. Regulations and restrictions were very strict in what they could and could not do through their church. They rolled up their sleeves and got to work loving the people. Michael laughs about the boats used to get from one location to another, “packed so full of chickens and people and stuff that we thought we were going to sink.” Fern giggles relaying the hardest part for her was walking the plank to get off the boat to shore. They would teach, sitting on the floors and using a translator to communicate the concepts of the gospel they traveled to share. Fern recalled, “They were such humble people.”

Returning home from Singapore they were asked to serve in Heber as employment missionaries. After traveling the world touching lives and working for the greater good they were happy to be back home in Heber Valley. Michael and Fern laugh quietly as they claim they’re “put out to pasture now.” I disagree, now they travel the world digitally, tracking down ancestors, working on genealogy, and indexing documents for others to access. I certainly did track down a “power couple” of Heber City. The Spanos’ powerful hearts know no bounds — they are overflowing with service and love for their worldwide community.

While I was recently sitting in the construction traffic, southbound on the 40 from Park City, I had one of these moments. A cover of George Harrison’s masterwork, Within You Without You [from the Beatles’ 1967 release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band] by Big Head Todd and The Monsters came on the radio via the satellite airwaves. Within You Without You is a tune I have known since adolescence as the original recording. George has always been my favorite Beatle. I have come to appreciate his secular observations and criticisms as I have grown in age, experience, and (dare I say it) maturity. Hearing the song as a cover was a different experience. As I listened to a composition that I could lyrically recite from memory for the first time, in a glimpse of a moment, the words meant something different from what I had previously known them to be.

George spent the fall of 1966 hanging out in India with master sitarist Ravi Shankar. His original intent was to become more familiar with the instrument and reassess the international fame the Beatles had encountered after their third US tour. However, during his stay, George became entranced by ancient Hindu philosophy and the teachings of the Vidas. Leading up to this visit, George openly struggled with Western secularism and the relentless pursuit of status and material acquisitions. While he became more skilled with the sitar over the endurance of his stay, his more meaningful takeaway was a spiritual awakening.

Upon George’s return to England, he embraced this change of heart and actively adopted a lifestyle aligned with many Hindu teachings. Within You Without You became a personal declaration of his change in philosophy and his music began to reflect this ideology from that point forward.

Within You Without You introduces a Western audience to the concept that enlightenment innately exists within the individual. George encourages humankind to look within ‘the self’ [within you] while simultaneously removing the self-perception of ego identity [without you]. The obstacle is that we are conditioned from birth to accept secular programming, which, by in large, blinds us from the fact that we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience.

“Try to realize it’s all within yourself; no one else can make you change

And to see you’re really only very small

And life flows on within you and without you.”

One builds ego by stacking earthly gains and labels, then wrapping those assets with a coat of self-interest. The soul, or true self, is generally at peace and stable, while the ego is subject to constant fluctuation as the winds of the world shift. Constructing an ego as an identity is the way of the world. Others will judge you based on your productivity as measured by material wealth and success. However, constructing an identity on a fluctuating ego is like building a home on a foundation of sand. The true self will never be at peace with this strategy. Once construction becomes complete, it is horrifying for most to tear a home down to its foundation, relocate, and rebuild.

“We were talking

About the love that’s gone so cold

And the people

Who gain the world and lose their soul.

They don’t know, they can’t see.”

It is evident how small we are when an individual can suppress their ego. In the grand scheme, most of us retain little to no influence. Secularism is a hollow pursuit as there is ‘always a bigger fish.’ Hence, one can “gain the world and lose their soul,” chasing all desirable things as prescribed by the world.

A constant in our Earthly existence is that one can only be accountable for the actions of their self. One individual imposing their belief system on another is an act of aggression. One cannot be aggressive and at peace simultaneously as one action contradicts the other. The contemporary Indian Sage Papaji stated:

“If there is peace in your mind you will find peace with everybody. If your mind is agitated you will find agitation everywhere. So first find peace within and you will see this inner peace reflected everywhere else. You are this peace. You are happiness, find out. Where else will you find peace if not within you?”

Every one of us is born with a unique ‘true self.’ Within each individual is the capacity to live a joyous life and find enlightenment within our unique ability to comprehend such a status. Young children are delightful because they live authentically before being imbued with secular philosophy. The soul recognizes authenticity — but is often unable to consciously place the ‘why’ because of the “space between us all” and the “love that’s gone so cold.” When struggling with a person’s behavior, I often try to imagine them as their ‘kindergarten self.’ This tactic allows me to observe them and their actions more patiently by removing their self-constructed identity and trying to see them as their true selves. Try it — it works!

“When you’ve seen beyond yourself then you may find

Peace of mind is waiting there

And the time will come when you see we’re all one

And life flows on within you and without you.”

Worldly mindsets seek endless busyness, distraction, and futility that rift the gateway to the true spiritual self. If left unchecked, the material world will consume all of your energy and provide sufficient distractions to eliminate one’s ability to commune with your inner self. One must forsake, or at the very least, compartmentalize the requirement to be in the world if the goal is to unlock what is “within you.”

Western mindfulness practices introduce meditation as a non-spiritual approach to emotional management, stress reduction, and mental focus. The goal of Hindu mindfulness is to use focus and meditation to attain a mystical state — the mind’s total absorption on the inner self. Asceticism, or restraint in consumption and simplicity in living, mediates the ego, while spiritually targeted mindfulness creates a path to understanding and accepting your true identity. A Hindu follower seeks Moksha (spiritual liberation) and self-realization through Karma Yoga (the path of action and good deeds), Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion to God), and Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge and wisdom) and, in some teachings Raja Yoga (mental discipline and meditation). The Katha Upanishad states:

When the five senses and the mind are still, and the reasoning intellect rests in silence, then begins the highest path.

Acknowledging a higher power is critical when exploring a life “without you.” What could be more ego-driven than the thought that there is nothing more extraordinary in the world than my self-construct? In nearly every global denomination, love is Godliness. Love cannot exist without humility.

“We were talking

About the love we all could share

When we find it

To try our best to hold it there.”

I recognize that for a community magazine in a small Utah town — this may be a ‘far out’ stream of thought as one sits listening to the radio in road construction traffic. Our editorial voice aims to promote positivity and preserve the historical identity of the Heber Valley. The founders of this community were religious people. Studying world religions will find many common threads in thought, principle, and action. Many of these concepts made me who I am today. If I am perfectly candid: I was once a wounded soul and occasionally I feel obligated to share the secret to my recovery.

I can break this all down to contemporary language and standards. Simply put, make the Heber Valley a better place in 2023 by embracing these five principles: 1) You are responsible for your happiness, 2) You are not that cool, 3) Unplug, 4) Chill out, and last — but not least, 5) Avoid selfishness.

Have a wonderful Holiday Season and start to 2023!

I humbly bow
to the divine
in you.

Thank you for
supporting Heber Vally Life magazine and our Positive Community Voice.

By carefully crafting its general plan, the city is attempting to protect its lifestyle and rural feel, while still providing refuge for weary travelers searching for a new home.

Midway’s mayor Celeste Johnson explained, “The general plan is something that guides all of the decisions we make, and the state requires that we revisit it every five years. Midway’s very proactive on their general plan, and this every five year process has been pretty intense every time.”

For this most recent review, Midway was granted a six-month moratorium on new projects, in an attempt to get in front of the exploding growth. “A moratorium is a double-edged sword,” Mayor Johnson said. “As soon as a developer finds out you’re going to do a moratorium, they’ll do everything in their power to vest before that moratorium happens. And so what you end up with is this huge workload …  and it takes months and months to get through that, and now the moratorium is over … That backlog is the other side of that double-edged sword.”

The city dealt with the backlog when the moratorium was over, except for a continuation on what’s called a notice of pending ordinance. This means that the city has six months to complete work on about six codes. Development projects needing these codes can be approved conditionally, but must wait for the ordinances to be finalized with the city. The building is mostly on again. But that short, six-month break provided a huge opportunity for the city to gather information and organize strategies.

General plan meetings were held in December and January; an all-inclusive survey was administered for public input; and an open house was held in March. There are ten chapters in the plan, and a committee was set up for each chapter.

“For some of these committees, the chapter is pretty good already and they’re only going to tweak it and they’ll be done. Some of these chapters are going to need major overhauls,” explained Mayor Johnson. “Our affordable housing chapter is going to need a major overhaul. Our open space chapter was just written 2 years ago, so it’s going to need just a little bit of tweaking.”

All of this public interest has provided Midway’s government with a clear picture of residents’ priorities for their city. “The beauty of Midway tends to just be that we want more of what we just had. Hands down, every survey, everything we’ve ever done, trails is the number one priority in this community. So we know that we’ll continue to connect our trail system and improve our trail system,” Mayor Johnson said.

Also, some people would like to see different kinds of activities in the different parks. So, Mayor Johnson suggested that maybe instead of fixing antiquated playground equipment, the city could take that out and put some more creative options in those playgrounds, such as zip lines, and ADA-compatible options.

Open space is another huge priority in Midway. A five-million dollar bond was passed recently, and the city has been making the most of it. They still have 1.5 million left for preserving space, after already saving almost 300 acres from development! Mayor Johnson explained, “When we use that money, we try to get matching funds and really stretch that out as much as we can.”

Midway has been doing an amazing job making those funds last. The Kohler Dairy project cost seven-million dollars, but Midway only had to use one-million. Wasatch County and Utah Open Land provided money to complete the purchase, by gathering federal money and other grants. Landowners have been stepping in to help too. For example, Kem Gardner of the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute owns property in Midway. When he found out the bond had passed, he approached Midway about preserving his land. One-million dollars was approved to save some of his property for open space. But after it had all been approved, Gardner offered to give the one-million back on the condition that it be used to improve the land with trails and other options for public use. “Those are the kinds of beautiful things that happen when people understand that this is a priority,” said the mayor.

Growth is also a major issue facing the city and their crafting of the general plan. The city has about 6,000 residents now and could possibly have as many as 12,000-15,000 in the near future. But Mayor Johnson and the city council are prepared. They’ve done several innovative things to get in front of the growth and preserve Midway. Some examples are increasing setbacks to protect view corridors and putting options in place, such as rural preservation subdivisions, to encourage developers not to build out to full density. Midway’s officials have also declined the push to change the 35 foot height restriction everywhere except for the resort zones.

Affordable housing is another issue. “That is the million dollar question,” said Mayor Johnson. “That is a national crisis … Midway specifically is looking at two things right now. One, called a fee in leu, would mean that if a developer is doing a project, they would pay a certain amount on each lot to be used somewhere in the county to create affordable housing. Another option would be selling deed-restricted property to developers.”

Even tiny homes could play a part. “There would be some charming ways to create tiny home, European-looking villages, that would totally fit Midway,” Mayor Johnson stated. “So we would absolutely take a look at that. But we would have to adjust our code to make it work. And we’re willing to do that.” She continued, “We hope to start getting some solutions. We’re way behind the 8-ball up here on that. The growth hit us all off guard … We have elected officials who weren’t prepared, myself included, for what that means.”

Midway has already been coming up with some ingenious ideas to protect its culture. One of the most impressive ways was how the resort tax stayed in place. The clock was ticking, and Midway didn’t have enough nightly rentals to continue as a resort town. But then, at the very last hour, a resident came up with a plan — annex the Wasatch campground into the city of Midway. The city jumped on this brilliant idea, and the resort designation survived. In the future, Mountain Spa will offer some additional nightly rentals, along with a hybrid open space conservation project — forty acres around Mountain Spa have been preserved in perpetuity for agricultural use. These lots will be sold as deed-restricted agricultural lots, again keeping Midway’s open space open.

“We’ve done everything we can to create some boundaries that will make our growth smart and protect our view corridors … protect the feel that we believe Midway is, which is somewhat eclectic, somewhat resort, somewhat rural, somewhat agricultural, and it’s also, well, the victorian houses on main street, there’s nothing Swiss about those; that’s British. But we like that eclectic feel,” Mayor Johnson laughed. The city even created code language specifically to protect those British historic homes. If they become commercial, some requirements would be waived in an effort to discourage developers from tearing them down.

With all of the changes taking place, Mayor Johnson had plenty of praise for the residents of Midway. “I’m very proud of how engaged Midway is as a community and how willing they are to come together and discuss options and alternatives; how willing they are to learn the facts and to find out what the limitations are that we have to work within; and that guiding volunteerism that we have here — I love that they’re willing to come forward and help with solutions.”

This new general plan, with all of its built-in encouragement to maintain Midway as a little piece of heaven, might be just enough to create a living work of art in the Heber Valley.

Have any of you ever considered why the Heber Valley is such a special place on a level that is a higher elevation from the talking points of ‘distance to a chairlift,’ ‘proximity to a major metropolitan market,’ or ‘the majestic views?’ If you have: you are searching for the ‘soul’ of the Heber Valley. Many places in the American West offer recreational opportunities and great views. Nearly every community in the West has a history of mining or cattlemen. Most of the West, Utah in particular, can claim a heritage of the sacrifice and bravery of early settlers. None of these are unique variables defining a modern small town in the Western United States.

I took the opportunity in my youth to travel and fly fish. I have driven across and overnighted in 42 of the 50 states; and brought a fly-caught gamefish to hand in the majority therein. My travels became more enlightening as I fixated less on the monuments, trophies, or destinations within the locale, and more on the citizens of the place I was trying to fish. There were times when I would pick the seediest dive I could find in Rural America, plop myself down on a stool and try to break the social barriers that the locals would put up to defend their way of life from outsiders (Clyde’s Billiards, the OE and Timp Tavern were not exempt from this excercise). As it turns out, many people like to catch fish, and I could always find a talker in the group regarding fishing stratagem. These experiences taught me quite a bit about respect, judgment, and earning diverse friendships. After all those travels, I landed and set root in the Heber Valley. While the Middle Provo River can produce some great trout, there is far more behind this outcome than the fishing.

The Heber Valley is remarkable because our residents still possess a GENUINE quality. Our citizenry’s down-to-earth attributes have survived the plasticine projections of consumerism, commodification, entitlement, and the corporate value structure that has assembly-line-packaged and shrink-wrapped this Nation over the past 40 years — making the Heber Valley a non-fictional, modern-day Shangri-La. We are an honest and hard-working population that has historically earned our daily bread by the sweat of our brows. The people that we see at work are the people we see at our grocery stores, softball games, and civic events. We keep our heads up in our struggles, look each other in the eye, and offer a helping hand when we see others in need. While we may not get along all the time, we each understand that we live in the same small pond and have a unifying love of where we live. I have been amazed for nearly 20 years by the caliber of individuals I have discovered within the confines of this Mountain Valley. Many long-standing residents have chosen this life while professionally qualified to engage the rat race head-on in larger markets. If you think that the Heber Valley is nothing more than a misfit bunch of Utah hillbillies — you have sorely misread the reality of where you stand.

The change that immediately concerns me in the Heber Valley is not what you might suspect. I am not afraid of growth or new people moving to the HV. I welcome those who wish to become invested citizens in our community. I believe this is a natural and necessary process that is healthy. A few antonyms of growth would be stagnation and decay. Life marches forward. Given a complete understanding of the implications: I think we would all prefer increase over decline. However, change without an intentional direction tends to invite chaos. The identity of the Heber Valley, unless referencing weather patterns, has nothing to do with chaotic living.

Most of my work commute is the distance between Heber City’s Mill Road and Center to Main and Center. After 20 years of running this ‘commute,’ I encountered a first that I need to share — as an example of new attitudes in conflict with what has made the Heber Valley the desirable location it is today. There was an instance where the 25 MPH speed limit in the residential zone of Center Street was agitating the driver behind me. They elected to pass by in the center turn lane and issued a tall-fingered salute they drove past. Without any change in my speed or intensity, we caught up with each other at the stop light at Center and Main, where I politely smiled and waved back. My gesture of friendliness incensed the driver further — they peeled out and went North to whatever invented crisis their end destination entailed. Entitled aggression is not our identity in the Heber Valley. If you moved here to get away from that sort of thing, leave it where it belongs — in the past. Adopt the culture that long-standing residents have embraced for generations and perpetuate the vibe you moved here to enjoy.

The pace of the world has been gaining intensity over the past several years. Professional and social stresses have followed the rising intensity levels. With the cooling temperatures of Autumn, I extend an invitation to cool our emotional states correspondingly. The rapid-fire assault of information, misinformation, and unveiled self-serving agendas at high levels has created systemic anger, breach of trust, indifference, and shortened attention spans at a National level. To make the case even more tenuous, it appears that there is another storm brewing on the horizon. Assume that we are humble and in tune enough to validate that this trend is accurate and that it may be affecting our general emotional condition. How do we course correct our emotional pathways?

We all have choices. There will come a moment when we each have to decide to take the Blue Pill or the Red. I find myself reflecting on the oft-quoted passages of naturalist and celebrated American poet Robert Lee Frost found in the poem “The Road Not Taken.”

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

 

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

 

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Outside of the autumnal reference and natural allegory, I love this journey of thought because of the conceptual exploration that we all are accountable for our decision-making. None of us is unwillingly coerced towards a fate beyond our choosing. There will always be a choice and a corresponding consequence. Before you can change a core behavioral pattern, you have to validate that there is a problem and that you have the power to change.

Suppose you choose the Red Pill and want to explore the relationship between manipulated emotion and rational thought. In that case, I have three waypoints for your consideration that you may find helpful on your journey.

1. The inventory of time is a construct of humankind. This construct is the heartbeat and lifeblood of the industrial complex of which you are a cog in the machine. If you want to forsake the machine creating your perceived stress, unplug it. Reconnect with the planet and the natural pace of celestial motion, tides, seasons, and storms. Abandon your devices; sever the digital umbilical cord to the machine; and explore the Heber Valley this fall. Take your shoes off and feel the Earth. Schedule an afternoon to sit under an aged tree (without a book or any other distraction). Watch the shadows, track the clouds, feel the breeze and listen to the leaves as it passes through them. Catalog the sounds of the creatures of the Earth and learn their meanings. When the sun sets, make it a priority to lie down flat on your back and stargaze. Educate yourself about our neighboring planets and constellations to appreciate our dark skies, and ponder size, scope, and futility. The pace you will find in exercises such as this is the rhythm of creation — of which you are a part. It will ground you to what is truly important, and you will find more patience and compassion for others through that change.

2. An old-timey quote by the Internationally recognized New Zealander Cricket batsman, Glenn Turner, has been heavy on my mind as of late. He stated, “Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.” Don’t waste your precious time on this Earth fussing over variables outside your control. It is insane or illogical at best to give that thing, individual, or circumstance power over your overall emotional well-being if you cannot do anything about it.

3.  The external circumstances around you are not causing your anxiety or frustration. Emotion generates within the self. None other than yourself is responsible for inventorying your feelings, and you can choose how you react to any situation. Let’s momentarily revisit my Center Street reckless driving encounter. I had a choice to allow the actions of the offending driver to wreck my emotional state that day. The best revenge in many cases is not to allow the offender to affect your mood and correspondingly become like them. Letting the event pass without escalating your emotional state is the road “less traveled by.” It is the high road and the path of leadership. Nobody can make you feel upset, angry, or inferior when you understand the simple truth that you have a choice. We must willfully comply with an external event for it to modify our internal condition. Dare to be non-compliant with the external stresses of your life.

I share these thoughts out of love for my fellow citizens and the Heber Valley. If you managed to read this far, you have a choice to make. Marcus Aurelius declared, “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” Please accept my thoughts in the spirit that they are delivered — as it is not my intent to preach, but to provide a helping hand and a positive path to pursue. We can individually protect ourselves, our hometown, and our civic identity by embracing attitudes of tolerance, positivity, and respect. In a world where outside messengers persuade us to believe we have no choice or influence, these are actions we can take as a collective to create the future we all want to see in the Heber Valley.

Thank you for supporting our positively focused, solution-based media voice in the Heber Valley. I hope you enjoy our 21st edition of Heber Valley Life.