How's your health?

We've all heard the drill - "Hey, howzit goin'?" "I'm great, just great. How're you doin'?"

"Good, good. How's the family?"

"Oh, they're fine, too. How's yours?"

"They're great."

When you get right down to it, it all sounds a little inane, but it's an interchange that takes place among all of us on an almost daily basis as part of the expected ritual of greeting a friend or acquaintance.

Nonetheless, this traditional form of greeting no doubt has its roots in our basic human concern over each other's health and well being. It's a habitual "gut check" that reassures us someone cares enough to ask and that all is well.

Unfortunately, we're not always quite so vigilant about assessing the health of our community. That is not to say that we aren't careful about making sure everyone is vaccinated against the flu, or that our emergency services are at the top of their game, or that our local hospitals and nursing homes are doing what they need to do to take care of those who are ailing. But when it comes to the overall "health" of our community, the implications are far broader.

A "healthy" community is one that adequately provides its citizens with the basic human needs of safety, belonging and significance. It's one where the burdens and benefits of living here are widely shared among all of us.

The Blandin Foundation, based in northern Minnesota, long ago made the health of Minnesota's rural communities not only its mission - but its driving passion. The Foundation's Community Leadership Program, in which many of our own community's leaders have taken part, espouses eight common dimensions of a healthy community that can help us all make that routine "gut check" more meaningful.

Those eight dimensions include: life-long learning, economic opportunity, infrastructure and services, environmental stewardship, community leadership, safety and security, spiritual, cultural and recreational activities and valuing diversity.

Sound like a lofty goal to reach? Well, let's take a minute to think about it. Are there opportunities in our community for our residents to be educated from infancy through our "golden years?" Are there jobs that pay a living wage, and opportunities to become entrepreneurs if we so choose? Does our community have adequate water and sewer capabilities to afford growth, and does the system of streets and roads make it possible to get where we need to go? Do we have measures in place to protect the waters, woods and quality of air that have made our community so special since its start? Are there opportunities for people at all levels of society and from all walks of life to be part of the decision-making process? Do we feel safe when we walk the streets of our community, and is there a sense that there are those who are willing to help us in our times of need? Are we free to worship as we please without fear of persecution or censorship - and are there plentiful opportunities for worship? Do we value the arts and the added dimension of humanity they bring to our lives, and is there an adequate variety of ways to involve us in recreational activities to provide us with a healthy balance in our lifestyles? Do we recognize and honor our differences in culture, socio-economic groups, generations and nationalities?

Hopefully, those are the questions we as members of the community feel moved to ask ourselves on an ongoing basis and will continue to do so as we move on into the future. And if any of them come up a resounding "no," we must care enough to do something to change it. After all, the health of our community depends on it.

By the way, howzit goin'?

Wendy Johnson