Because The Light is Better -OR- Zen for the zenless

I live in the belly of the beast. For every plus there's a minus (or three). It's a perspective thing? Ten miles west of downtown Chicago. The terminus of two "L" lines. Bisected by I-290. Comparably affordable housing, lowish taxes, good services and enviable amenities. All good. All pluses. The biggest minus is a viable high school. Ours resides at the bottom of the academic rankings. Repelling the majority of its potential student body. Abandoned, disconnected and mostly ignored, it is the thing polite folk just don't talk about. If you have children, you resign yourself to moving or paying for private school. Representing only 10% of the high-school district's population while providing roughly a third of its tax base doesn't easily translate into a voice over decision making.

If you are largely unaffected by this failure, the situation actually provides comic relief. Reports that only 13% of HS juniors in the district met or exceeded standards? Consistency is a good thing right? Thank the deities its not OUR kids. News that the President of the School Board's legal expenses, from a lawsuit filed against him for an "anonymous" blog he created, are being paid by the taxpayers? Sounds about right for the district. It's good to be king of your own little world.
News that the Driver Education instructor had two DUI convictions and lacked a valid license? Par for the course. As long as you are beyond their reach, such things are funny in that sad kind of way.

Our recent real estate boom has gone pretty much bust. The largest remaining semi-finished developments are going to seed. One local developer seems to have fled the country. He was the darling not long ago tearing down small, modest homes and replacing them with stately new victorian style houses which earned the town designation as a destination for the upwardly mobile. A much larger project in a former industrial area is completed, albeit, struggling, as speculators try to absorb the carrying costs of buying on spec. All told 7-800 new units have been added in what was considered by most locals to be a completely landlocked community.

When we bought our home here, it was Brigadoon. Small town charm, tight-knit, friendly, inviting and proud of its off-the-beaten path ways, reluctant to change for change's sake. It was a mindset forged in rejection. The town's birth resulted from its expulsion from a larger established community as the area began the 20th Century.

The rejection occurred because of the Beer Halls and Saloons that flourished around our many, many, many cemeteries. Three communities splintered off. Two were established as Temperance Communities leaving this area on the outs. Geographically and identity challenged, perhaps even alcohol addled, it reeled a bit from the blow. Then it staggered to its feet, planted them firmly and said "Fuck it! We're still here, let's make the best of it". For the most part, the residents enjoyed being the watering hole for its neighbors and didn't mind being home to the region's departed, but didn't widely advertise these amenities. Instead it replicated the amenities that had been taken away. A more vibrant mix of shops opened and willingly catered to the shunned patrons of its neighbors' businesses. A local bank was opened. Life went on.

You won't find this history by asking the local historical society or searching the archives. They will tell you that Dr. Clarence Hemingway had his medical practice here, but not that his son, Ernest, learned his hard-drinking ways on the stools of our bars. You can see photographic evidence of our old amusement park, air field, horse racing track, ball field and picnic grounds, but not the gypsy encampments, drunken brawls, alleged brothels and gambling dens.

It's all pluses and minuses. While I would love to think there's a place without the minuses, it's often the unrecorded, unspoken bits that display the resourcefulness and creativity that abounds. Now that the churn of being the HOT spot in real estate is cooling, we can take inventory and see what all the hubbub was. We will reel, then stagger to our feet once again and say defiantly, "FUCK IT! We're still here. Let's make the best of it."

For the last few decades we've become almost nomadic. Ever upward? Away from the too hectic city centers, forming, building, paving over... Dissing the conveniences and community of the past. Praising the three car garage, acreage to mow, distant commuting, cul-de-sacs, and house farm subdivisions. "But wait, we want convenience too!" So with replicator efficiencies pods of shopping, dining and services are lined up along the main drags. Oh yeah, paradise. No thanks. From here, I can take the best and deal with the worst. YMMV.