One of my favorite books is Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. It’s about a young man named Santiago from Andalusia, Spain, who travels to the Egyptian pyramids, searching for treasure. On his journey, he meets incredibly interesting people—a person who believes himself a king, a beautiful woman and an alchemist who, according to lore, could change lead into gold.
Along the way, Santiago discovers himself. He finds he has the power of dreams, and those dreams speak to him. They lead him back home to Andalusia, where he finds a chest of jewels and gold buried under the same tree where his journey began.
Last year, over several months in our “Dialogue,” we went on our own journey, discovering places of treasure and meeting incredibly interesting people.
We visited Sam McMillan, a recently retired Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative employee, and his wife, Jody, at their Oconee County homestead by the Tugaloo River. On their little porch off a barn, Sam and Jody relax in metal chairs and enjoy the view of their garden and the rural landscape beyond. It inspired this series of columns about our connection to special places.
Whether they are our homes, favorite recreational spots, locations where we gather or retreats to which we escape, we all have places that connect us to one another. It’s that kind of connection that inspires the co-op movement to improve our communities and our neighbors’ quality of life.
It’s why Carolyn Grant, a Palmetto Electric Cooperative trustee and a Gullah descendent on Hilton Head Island, has worked to preserve and celebrate the island’s Gullah roots and historical significance amid her community’s explosive growth. She co-authored Gullah Days: Hilton Head Islanders Before the Bridge. The book contains one of my favorite co-op stories, detailing the Gullah community’s role in bringing electricity from Palmetto Electric to the island.
Of course, you don’t have to be born in a place for it to be a treasure. Broad River Electric Cooperative trustee Anita Whitney didn’t arrive in Union County until after college, when her soon-to-be husband, Bo, brought her to his homeplace. Whitney became rooted in that community—raising her kids, teaching, coaching and becoming the first woman on her co-op’s board of trustees. Whitney became so ingrained in Union County that when I first met her, I assumed she had grown up there.
Through this series, I’ve found people who have traveled the world and enjoyed many experiences. But like Santiago, when they return to their place, they know what treasure truly is. It’s not a material thing—it’s an enriching of the spirit.
We are blessed to live among so many special people and unique places. I hope you tell your friends and family about the places and people you treasure. I’m willing to bet you’ll find shared experiences that deepen your connections to each other and your love for South Carolina.