Josh Kramer

Do you ever have those moments? The ones that grab you and make you beam with pride, when you realize something important and meaningful has happened.

I had this epiphany recently. I realized, “Dang, the people in our co-ops ‘get it.’” (I know, I get paid to say that, but really, they do “get it.”) And they put their money where their mouths are, so to speak.

Our co-ops invest in their communities and their people. Not only the people of today, but looking forward, toward tomorrow and their future communities, members and workforce.

The BSC lineworker training program provides a great introduction to this critical trade, but completing the program is just the beginning. Learning continues throughout a lineworker’s career, both on the job and with advanced technical and safety training. Continuing education, training and safety programs are offered in special schools and by organizations like ours, the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC). NDAREC hosts a safety training program for the state’s electric cooperative workforce.

We also partner with North Dakota Tourism to produce the “North Dakota Travel Guide” and the “North Dakota Hunting and Fishing Guide.” These guides are picked up by thousands of travelers each year at rest areas, convention and visitors bureaus, trade shows, hotels and restaurants. Visitors request these guides online or over the phone to plan their next getaway. North Dakota Living readers typically receive these special publications in the mail, packaged to an issue of the magazine.

The process was slick. One week prior, we visited www.ndvax.org(link is external), selected a location, answered a few questions, and scheduled our vaccination appointments for the next week. The day of the vaccination, we didn’t even have to get out of our car. We drove up, answered a few more questions, and were vaccinated within 10 minutes. Then, we waited 15 minutes to be monitored for allergic reactions or immediate side effects. In 25 minutes, we were out of there with Band-Aids on our arms.

The electric grid is a complex machine with a sophisticated series of controls that manage power coming on and power going off. (Bear with me. Here come the acronyms.)

Today, I am a parent to young wrestlers, and I’m also a “dance dad.” Both of these sports join a long list of extracurricular activities available to youth through schools and clubs that teach valuable life lessons and build character, but don’t always grab the headlines.

No matter the activity, whether it be athletics, music, speech, drama, student government, a service club, or you name it – each has an appeal and a community of committed folks that teach, inspire and help others belong.

My recent nudge or “aha!” moment came as I was paging through a compilation of all 12 issues of North Dakota Living from last year. If you have a free moment, find the compilation at www.ndliving.com, or pull out your 2020 magazines, and see it for yourself. Combing through the month-to-month features, photos, articles and columns, the collective story told through the magazine in 2020 was powerful.

One dark, subzero December night, I was driving alone. The roads were slick. After three hours on the road, I suddenly felt the urge to accelerate, in hopes I would find a restroom…fast. Big mistake. I veered slightly off the road. I was stuck. Not in deep snow, just a fresh dusting, but underneath was solid ice. My car was immobilized. No traction.

Have you ever thought about the month of November? It’s a big month for America.

Election Day. Veterans Day. Thanksgiving. (And deer opener, if you’re a North Dakotan!)

By the time you read this, it is likely you (if you are of age) have already voted. Perhaps we even know the outcome of the November election.

Let me tell you a story.

One of my daughters, 3-year-old Olivia, was sitting in the living room and heard one of her siblings mention “coronavirus.” Her ears perked up, and she said, “Oh, the virus. I will draw it.” The others didn’t pay much attention until a few moments later, when little Olivia returned with her drawing of the “Verona virus,” as she called it (see below). She said she was going to give it to her grandma as a birthday gift – the drawing, that is.

This happened. And the reality hit my wife and I like a freight train.