Ordinary Progress

Today was pretty ordinary, which is okay by me. It's actually an improvement to have things feel 'ordinary'... The most notable things in my day were: 1) I was busier in my new position than I have been to date. A good thing.  Progress. 2) I badly burned the top of my thumb when I spilled hot tomato sauce on it. OUCH. Burns while cooking are pretty normal for me (despite being a pretty good cook, I tend to grab hot pans, or scorch my skin on the top of the oven, regularly), but this is a weird one, even for me. It's going to blister, too. Not sure that is progress. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Now, speaking of progress... I want to share some history of Worcester and its progress. As I've been walking to work each day and home each evening, I've started to notice more interesting details about the history of Worcester, and also progress the that the city is making on repairs that are needed due to its less prosperous eras. Commendable- renovate, rebuild, reinvent- celebrate the history of change, rather than consider it forever lost, un-savable, or scars to be erased through destruction.

If you look closely, you'll see this building, now home to several restaurants, was once a Buick Dealership. The name is etched above the doorway, and there are stained glass windows proudly proclaiming "Buick".

As for this place, I don't know exactly what it is home to today (but it's home to something.... the lights are on!), but clearly Coca-Cola was part of its past. And most of us can say that is true (really, who HASN'T had a Coke at some point??). 

Gorgeous train station day or night. Any city would be jealous, and Worcester is able to proudly call it "theirs".... (ours?? too soon?? maybe =) ).

A city rich in mills, huge, beautiful red-brick buildings, reinventing them as restaurants, dance studios, and loft living spaces.

A city preserving the tiny little diner.

A city with a magnificent skyline of old and new.

And finally, a city that recognizes, it's not done making progress yet.

We all should be so smart.

Here's to hoping.

(Now's the time to get a glass of wine and think about how tomorrow is a new day).