The View From Fargo

Welcome to "A View From Fargo."

This blog is a compliment to my web site www.amorenaturalway.com, which contains my photo gallery and Pamphlets about life, leadership, and change.

The purpose of this blog is to share my views from Middle America on local issues with global meaning and on global issues with local impacts.

I might write on a local story that I reacted strongly to and link it to universal applications, or I might write on a national or international story and give it a local twist.

A couple of years ago one of my brothers asked me: "Did you ever think you would end up in Fargo, North Dakota?" " No," I replied, "but then I never thought I would be a Secret Service agent, Star Tribune newspaper executive, writer, or consultant either. I never thought I would have three kids, five grandkids, or three step-children. I never thought most things about my journey in life.

I spent 2001 living on the side of a mountain between Ouray and Ridgway, Colorado. Prior to that I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota for most of my adult life. The time in Colorado fulfilled a dream and when it was finished, I packed up my jeep and trailer and headed East. I decided I would stay in Fargo for a while as I had no where I had to be. Besides there was someone in the area that I wanted to get to know better.

Initially I had the typical stereotype of Fargo: the end of the world, nothing to do, cold and lonely, and the people talk funny. I didn't know if I would like it here.

It turned out that I love it here: the air is clean, the sunsets big, crime is minimal, the people nice, and a traffic jam means it takes you five minutes longer to get to your destination. I have cable television and high speed internet. I saw Springsteen here and will go and see the Dixie Chicks in August (I like them because they talk back). Some of the best leaders I've ever met are in Fargo. I am a day from Yellowstone and just east of me is Minnesota lakes country. I also rediscovered Northern League baseball from my youth and am a big fan of the Fargo/Moorhead Red Hawks; they are winners. In a time of voluntary simplicity, I cannot ask for more.

I've now been here for four years. The first blindness of romance has worn off, and I've seen some of the dark side of Fargo: the Scandanavians are tight with a dollar, can be hard to get a reaction from, and they really make a big deal of high school graduations in this part of the world. Graduation gives everyone an excuse to fix up the house periodically as the kids grow up. When one of your kids graduate you plan on eating the left-over shredded pork for many months.

After being in Fargo for a while I told another brother about it and he said, "You sound like the Chamber of Commerce." I realized that I really liked it here. He said, "Too bad you have such cold winters." I replied, "It keeps the California 'riff-raff' out of here (he is from Carmel, California). Besides with global warming, Fargo will become the next hot real estate market.

I ended up married to the person I wanted to get to know better. That was the best thing I ever did. We live across the Red River and about 100 yards from Fargo in south Moorhead, Minnesota. Our home is along the river in a natural setting within the city. Wild turkeys are regular visitors.

Fargo is much more cosmopolitan than Moorhead, Minnesota, hence the title of this blog.

I hope this regular column will provoke, educate, entertain, and illuminate.

My first column will be posted by Monday, July, 17, 2006. Please come back and read it.

I hope you will share this site with others, visit www.amorenaturalway.com, and come back often and share your comments with me.

Tom Heuerman, Ph.D. is a former U. S. Secret Service agent, an 18 year executive at the Star Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has been a writer and consultant since 1994.