EDITORIAL: A little traffic - A lot to be thankful for

We know it can be hard sometimes. 

It's 4 p.m. on a Friday. You got off work early and all you want to do is get a jump on the weekend. But unfortunately, there's an infinitely long line of cars, trucks, campers and boats — along with what feels like every red light in the world — standing between you and the freedom you're desperately seeking. 

In those moments, it's OK to crank up the music and maybe mutter a few choice words about the people who don't live here but have suddenly made our panhandle of paradise their home for a few days, weeks or months. 

But it's important to remember that we've done this to ourselves. Not in any one way. And if we hadn't made the changes and decisions we did, we might not be here at all.  

We don't get to point the finger at one person, one family, one business or one city for the way North Idaho became a destination unlike so many others. It's been a collective effort.  

To borrow a line from one of the all-time great movies, Field of Dreams, "If you build it, he will come." We may not be talking about baseball, but the principle still applies. As other industries dried up, we looked at what we had — lakes, rivers, natural beauty and a spirit of adventure — and essentially said, "Come on over. The water's nice." 

And people did. 

We took those dollars and built something even better. We created events and festivals that fill entire weekends. Hotels, Airbnbs and campgrounds stay busy. Visitors shop in local stores, eat in local restaurants and stroll through a farmers market or two before they ever get to the main reason they came. 

Some even leave with more than souvenirs and trinkets. 

They leave with a new car or boat. A business. A house. Sometimes a whole new life. 

And every step of that journey puts money into the pocket of you or someone you know. Money that didn't originate here but is now circulating through our communities. 

Sure, there are bad apples. We all know it. Some visitors leave a bad taste in locals' mouths and reinforce the feeling that getting ahead is harder than it used to be. But those people are far outnumbered by the ones who come here and genuinely fall in love with this place. 

If we meet them with negativity, we can only expect to get some of that back. But the more we embrace the good ones, the more they remember why they came here in the first place. And the more likely they are to help preserve the very things and way of life we hold so dear. 

So back to you, sitting in your car and staring down that line of traffic — the one we're all stuck in together. Once you've cleared your throat and let out a sigh, take a moment to appreciate what we get to enjoy every day that they're only visiting to see. 

And remember that, at the end of the day, what they're bringing to the table is valuable lifeblood for our small communities, helping carry many of us through the leaner months of the year.