For the longest time, there was a stagnant air in downtown Worcester, MA. Empty lots filled with trash and unkempt buildings  with windows as vacant as the eyes of the people scurrying to the few businesses that remained. I love this city, but our landscape and spirit had been deteriorating year by year for so long, I had begun to lose hope. But finally, the winds have changed and work has begun to restore or remove the buildings.  New people and businesses are investing in the future. Instead of holes in the ground, I now walk by an underground garage with a beautiful green park at street level. In our amazing city with so many colleges, we can now offer apartments near the train station for students that study here. There are new apartments going in – also near the station – that are destined for young professionals that want easy access to public transportation. We have some amazing places for entertainment: The Hanover Theatre, Mechanics Hall, The DCU Center – with more and better events each year to bring people together.

I am hopeful that all of these new buildings with street level retail and restaurant space will fill in and downtown will become the amazing place it was when I was younger…when we all dressed up to spend the day dining, shopping and meeting friends.

There are big changes and small changes. I was on my way to take the bus home and passed these Serviceberry Bushes(?) I heard a rustling and looked closer to see these beautiful Cedar Waxwings. The previous day, I saw Baltimore Orioles in the same bushes.

It amazes me to see how alive the city is with life: the people, the renovation of just about everything, and the wild life that lives along side us. As with all transitions, I feel like I need to let go of what Worcester has been in the past and embrace it for the unique and amazing place it is. It isn’t always easy to see what the end will be, but if we take a good look around we just might see that we are on our way…