Thursday, June 9, 2011

Hand over Heart

As we go about our daily lives, it is so so easy to forget where and how we live.
The "funny" thing about a recession it forces us to wake up. When life goes well, don't you think we tend to live more coldly?  We lose ourselves, we lose our humanity, we lose community.

I came across an article in Natural Home & Garden mag this month titled "Building a Better Block a community group transforms a rundown city block into a vibrant spot for walking, biking, dining and shopping".  Most cities were built around the car, meaning we get out of a building, go to our car, and drive to someplace else.  But nowadays, with the economy in the drain, a car is somewhat of a luxury--now what?  You've got folks like Jason Roberts, "who dreamed of a walkable, bikeable community where business would flourish and outdoor spaces would encourage meaningful interactions..."  Check out betterblock.org. 

The Hubs and I were out last weekend and we wanted something a little more upscale than the family-oriented establishments (sorry people with kids).  We had just finished listening to a fantastic band called Butter (schmear opened for them) out at the community-developed New Town Williamsburg (nice, but a little vanilla) and we stopped at one of our favourite spots Art Cafe 26  http://www.artcafe26.com/ for just a wind down espresso and no one was there, empty.  So we sat down outside, enjoyed our liquid, and within moments, there was walk-by activity, another couple sat down, other folks asked questions regarding the cafe and before we knew it, it was a little busier.  People attract people.  It takes only one person to dream a little dream for a better way.

Go out tonight, order a refreshing beverage, maybe a hefinwizon (yeah, we can thank a waiter last night for that--I corrected him, poor kid) at your local spot, take your time, converse with other poeple, enjoy the right now, let's bring ourselves back to life.

lata gatas,
tina

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