I am writing this article from up north for the weekend, and the weather is bitterly cold. Many people keep telling me that we are due for a bad winter, and maybe they’re right. I don’t mind the cold, and I actually really love the snow; I am just not thrilled when it occurs in Bretton Woods.
Plowing in our community presents several challenges and requires a very coordinated effort. The good news is that we have been preparing and are well-equipped for whatever Mother Nature brings our way. I am going to thank all of you now in advance for following the blast calls, which allow us to clear the roads and parking lots for all of you.
Please keep your cars in the parking lots and off the street throughout the storm. When the roads are clear and parking lots are passable, a blast call will be sent asking you to move your cars out and into a cleared spot or onto the street. When you shovel out, do not throw snow onto cleared roadways or parking spots. All this does is hinder the snow removal process and inconvenience your neighbors. The snow should be thrown into uncleared areas or to the curb line. The above is simply a guideline that we try and always follow and hope you do as well. This may need to be adjusted, and the blast calls are how we share that information with you. Please read/listen to them and let us work together this winter season.
The holiday season is officially upon us, and our annual food drive ended last month. This is coordinated every year by Pat Savary, and she does a very nice job. I want to thank her personally and on behalf of our community.
Our annual toy drive is underway, and I encourage all of you to come down and donate a toy if you’re able to do so. All toys that are donated are asked to be new, packaged, and unwrapped. All toys are donated to underprivileged kids in need of a little extra joy this holiday season.
We will be having our annual New Year’s Eve Party this year, and we hope all of you will attend. The details on how to reserve yourself a seat are provided in this month’s Newsletter. The party is always a very good time, and Brian Howard, our DJ for the 4th of July and Labor Day, will be working the event.
With the holiday season being here, I must take this time to thank all of you. I have been a part of this community for what will be twenty-five years in March. I moved here as a teenager and was very blessed with all the different people I had the privilege of meeting. Bretton Woods is a very diverse community and gave me so many different perspectives on life. Now, as a man, I can see how lucky I truly was.
A special thank you to the HOA Board of Directors, Mooney Pond Area Utilities Board, and all of the Condo Boards. All of whom have treated me very well over the years and have allowed me to grow. The details of how our community runs is very complex and requires a lot of people all working together. Over the years, I have seen a lot of different changes, and like everything, some were good and others weren’t. I am very pleased with where things are today and have been for some time. That is a testament to all of the volunteers who work very hard day in and day out to keep this community running.
To all our vendors and contractors, a special thank you to you as well. I know sometimes having to negotiate with me isn’t always enjoyable; Though all of you know how much we appreciate your hard work and loyalty. Having long-standing professional relationships is the key to any successful business.
Last but certainly not least, a thank you to all the staff. I simply could not do my job without all of you, and I know that. I know some days things can be challenging and stressful, as is true for any job. Though knowing that everyone is valuable and serves a purpose is what allows everything to run as smoothly as it does. Yes, some days we must adjust things and course correct as necessary. Though the purpose and the goal will never change, and that is to be better than we were the day before.
To all of you this holiday season, I truly hope you get to thank those in your life who give you joy. We never know what tomorrow brings and how long the people in our lives will be there. Don’t make the mistakes that I once made and take them for granted. Life is much easier when we learn to accept people for who they are, rather than wishing they were what we think they should be.
Regardless of what any of you celebrate this holiday season. I hope that you do so with love, gratitude, fulfillment, joy, and happiness.
December brings us the following holidays and days of significance: Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas Eve, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve.
Craig Pessin- HOA Administrator
Find your joy in the little things of life as difficult as it may feel at times. We all think that life was supposed to offer us something different or better at times. Until we realize that the key to having joy is not chasing the life that we thought we were supposed to have, but rather to start being grateful for the life that we do have. I fail to do this way more often than I would like, but I accomplish it much more than I once did.
