“My mother is German and my dad was an army GI. After moving back and forth between the US and Germany, we eventually came back and settled in Enfield, New Hampshire, and I have been in the Upper Valley since then. I don’t have to worry about safety in the Upper Valley, and I don’t have to worry about my kids or grandkids going outside. This is a safe place. I am a recovery coach at Willow Grove, a home for women in recovery, and I am about to start work as kitchen supervisor at Visions, an assisted-living complex. I have two jobs because I don’t like to be unbusy.
You have to have fun at work or it’s just not worth it. I went to community college, then quit. You find more from life experiences. I was a waitress at Lou’s, then at the Four Aces Diner for ten years. You get to say what you want to people. All my life, I have worked with the public. Every day is different. I don’t like repetition of the same thing. Each June, there is a bike rally. One biker dared me to hit his friend in the face with a chocolate cream pie, so I did. I take the bus because you meet so many unique individuals, and I’ll talk to anybody.
It is rare to see a person of color in the Upper Valley. I didn’t see my first black person until I was in eighth grade. It was 1968. There were no minorities at the time in the Upper Valley. His name was Charlie Fierce and I became good friends with him. People of color have just started moving in, and that’s fine. If you’re a good neighbor, you’re a good neighbor. We accept people for who they are. It’s live and let live.
Hanover is a different network than us. If you’re living in Hanover, you’re not living in the real world. A lot of locals work at Dartmouth, but none of them live near there because it is too expensive. At Dartmouth, you don’t get a full view of the Upper Valley. Go to Walmart on a Friday, then you will see the Upper Valley.
Take each day as it comes. I try not to live too far in the future. Every day, you overcome whatever gets thrown in your path. Days are like a river. Sometimes it’s smooth, sometimes it’s not, but you always keep going.”–Margo O’Day, Enfield, NH.
