My greatest joy in creating this documentary is getting to interview the remarkable people who live here—people who have chosen the road less traveled; who have discovered the joy of serving others, or of creative expression, or of doing it yourself. To live here, most have had to forego the “American dream” of wealth accumulation in exchange for things that money can’t buy–scenic beauty, clean water and air, plenty of outdoor recreation, a community that pulls together through thick and thin.  Poignantly, I’ve learned that all people have a story worth listening to—particularly when we’re face to face and I can look into their eyes as they tell it.

Not everyone is comfortable telling their story, or revealing themselves in that way; some people may require more of my skills as an interviewer than I’m able to deliver in that particular moment. But if I’m able to spend an hour deeply engrossed in another’s viewpoint, the experience changes me. Something of the speaker becomes part of my own sense of the world. For hours, or days, afterward, I’ll carry them with me; I’ll hear their voice in my head. I’ll interpret events as they might interpret them. I’ll see their face as they talk.

Interviewing someone frees me to truly listen. If they say something I don’t agree with, I might ask them to say more about it, or to address the point of our differences, but I seldom feel the need to debate with them about it. I feel no need to “educate” them. That’s not my purpose in conducting the interview. Rather, it is to reveal what they think, or feel, or believe. At that point, interviewing someone becomes a bonding experience. Plus, the process of editing the videos allows me to see and hear their stories over and over again!

Just this morning I edited this clip of KTRT manager, “Voice of the Valley, Don Ashford. He’s got plenty more to say, but here’s 10 minutes’ worth.

Thank you, Don.