Every year, it happens like clockwork at my house. At some point in the late fall or early winter, someone in my house gets up in the morning and stumbles to the bathroom, reaches into the shower to turn the handle....and nothing. There’s no water.
Once again, the pipe in our well-house has frozen because of the dropping temperatures. For the next few hours, we will be waterless until someone wanders into the frigid cold to turn on the heat lamp in the well house and the pipes thaw. This jury-rigged solution makes it work and yes, a professional is who came up with the system.
To have water in our house, we had to take that difficult first step: acknowledging that we didn’t know what we were doing. We had to ask for help. We had to admit we didn’t know everything.
In fact if I admit it, I don’t know how - and this is just a rough estimate - 99 percent of the world works.
I don’t know how electricity works, so that’s why I hire an electrician because it’s done right. I don’t know how to play the G chord on the guitar, so that’s why I attend concerts because it’s done beautifully. I don’t know why I’m gaining weight, so that’s why I see my physician because she can tell me that I do know why I’m gaining weight but I won’t give up my fries.
I also thought I was the only one who drove down the road wondering why wood is used for electrical poles, how birds are able to sit on electrical lines without getting electrocuted, or how long the stripes on a highway are. (Because wood is cheap but good, electricity takes the path of least resistance and that’s not a bird leg, and 10 feet which is longer than most people guess.)
Every day, I must admit that I don’t know something. Every day, I will wonder about something I don’t know. And every day, I will ask questions or research something. At the end of the day, there are a lot of useless facts in my head but I wouldn’t give up my curiosity for anything.
(I’m trying not to buy as many books as I have in the past but I couldn’t pass up “A Walk Around the Block” by Spike Carlson, where he explores everything from how squirrels use their tails to when manhole covers came into existence.)
Admitting you don’t know something is hard but that gives you the opportunity to learn something new, to need someone else’s expertise and knowledge, to reframe how you think. .
And it is not just the physical world around us where we need to acknowledge we don’t know everything.
It’s also our ideas and opinions and thoughts which affect our decisions.
Especially these days, we need to admit that we don't know everything about a particular subject..
Your neighbor doesn’t know everything. The person calling into a radio show doesn’t know everything. People posting and sharing on social media certainly don’t know everything. Even the experts may not know everything.
Yet sometimes, we give them all the same influence. We need to admit that the person who has devoted their life to a certain subject has more authority. We need to admit that the person who is dealing with the situation day-in, day-out knows more than we do. We need to admit that a person who has boots on the ground and deals with the problem on a regular basis is who we should listen to.
It’s not wrong to admit that we don’t know everything. In fact, it takes a leader with an open mind to acknowledge that they are willing to listen to others, that they are willing to change their mind, that they are willing to make an informed decision based on those who do know.
And at the end of the day, we need leaders - and a community - which are willing to acknowledge that they don’t know everything, but are willing to learn.
Most likely, we aren't going to be good at something at the start. But that shouldn't stop us from trying.
August 2025 Volunteer of the Month Bruce McDowell can be found walking around McCook for his health, to be helpful or maybe even attend a meeting.
It takes work and effort to be social but its vital to our community.
McCook's young people are shaping their hometown through a various projects.
MCFF Summer Hometown Intern Natalie Roberts shares how her perspective on McCook changed over the past few months.
With the McCook Aquatic Center closing soon for the season, another tradition - Mr. Bill and his 25-cent snow-cones - will likely be coming to an end soon too.
McCook among five Nebraska communities in Revitalize and Thrive Program
Getting Outside of National Night Out Nearly everyone can tell you their last interaction with the police or the fire department. And unfortunately because of the nature of the organizations, it is usually not at a positive moment. My last contact with the McCook Police Department was just a few weeks ago, when I was pulled over on B Street in McCook…on my scooter. I pulled into the wrong lane when making a turn, which is illegal. But in my defense, it was an act of self-defense to just get through the intersection of East B and Sixth streets alive. Since the drivers haven’t seen a stop-light since Holdrege, cars and semis regularly run the traffic light, which makes me a wee bit vulnerable as I pass through the lanes. I got off with a warning but the true punishment were the texts throughout the day from everyone who saw me with my scooter and the police officer. Since most exchanges with police and fire are not on good terms, National Night Out was created to have an evening of positive interactions, to remind the public that the police and fire departments are just normal people, doing their jobs, looking out for their friends and neighbors, trying to create a safe community for everyone. National Night Out is designed to simply join your friends and neighbors for an evening of fellowship and fun. It is an opportunity to meet local law enforcement, creating safer and more caring neighborhoods. McCook is joining thousands of other communities across the country in hosting National Night Out, which typically takes place on the first Tuesday of August every year. Planned for Tuesday, Aug. 5 from 5:30-7 p.m. in and around Norris Park in McCook, the night includes a bike parade, a walk, awards for bike decorating, desserts and more. In other words, it is simply a block party to hang out. Numerous organizations have come together to make the evening possible. CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) and the McCook Rotary Club are hosting a bike parade that starts at 6 p.m. Linda Maiden with State Farm, a bicycle helmet advocate, will also be in Norris Park. The streets around Norris Park will be shut down to provide a safe area to ride, as well as more space to cruise around the block. Participants are encouraged to decorate their bike, scooter, roller skates or anything on wheels. This could mean streamers, pompom balls, markers or even the old classic - playing cards in the spokes of your wheels. Some supplies will be available at the park for use if you show up and realize you are the most underdressed person at the party. If your bike has an inch of dust on it, this is a great time to get it out, wipe it off and get it rolling. And if your bike needs minimal fixes like a flat tire or a brake adjustment, bike tools will be on hand along with myself and my hubbie, who know just enough about bike repair to be dangerous but did manage a 300-plus mile bike ride last week so we must be doing something right. But let’s say you don’t have a bike or biking isn’t your cup of tea? Then you are still encouraged to join the “Walk in the Park,” hosted by Community Hospital. Designed to encourage a healthy lifestyle, walkers will stroll around the park and the neighborhood at whatever pace you feel like with strollers and dogs on leashes welcomed. And perhaps most importantly, there will be a chance to meet members of the McCook Police and Fire Department, getting to see police cars and fire engines close-up in a non-emergency manner, always the best way to see them. And if the weather cooperates, there may be a fire hose, water and spraying involved. If you have been at the Culbertson Fourth of July parade, you know it is up to you to stay out of the line of fire if you want to remain dry. We all have excuses for why we don’t want to go out at night, especially after a long day at work. But National Night Out in McCook on Aug. 5 is a great reason to get out your bicycle and lace up your walking shoes. Hang out with your friends, get to know your neighbors and meet your first responders. That is what makes our communities just a little bit better.
Judy McCune named July 2025 McCook volunteer of the month
Joyce Anderson named June 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month
