I Choose Indy!

Pat was kind enough to invite me to post on I Choose Indy, even though I don’t necessarily fit his demographic. Besides, as I explained to him, I didn’t choose Indy, Indy chose me.

That’s because I was born here and, really, have never given a thought to leaving. Indy is home. Indy is family. Indy is my big ol’ security blanket.

Indy is not perfect but then, where in the world is? I’ve checked the Rand McNally atlas and I can’t find Utopia anywhere.

No, we don’t have beaches, though I’m not much of a sand man, anyway. And we don’t have mountains, but I can settle for visiting them once or twice a year.

But what we do have is, I think, a pretty special sense of community. We’re a big city, for sure, that nonetheless has maintained small-town warmth and friendliness.

Without question, this has been a wonderful place for my wife and I to raise our daughters. And as they were growing, we made certain they could experience all those family-style amenities: The Children’s Museum, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the Indiana State Museum, the Indianapolis Zoo, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Conner Prairie and the list goes on and on.

One daughter took her first swimming lessons at the IU Natatorium. She eventually became a highschool all-American, inspired many times over by the nationally and internationally elite swimmers who competed in the same pool where she learned to swim. Our other daughter sang in Henry Lecht’s Indianapolis Children’s Choir, sowing the seeds of confidence that are reflected in her poise as a young adult today.

For my wife and I, Indy continues to be a place of discovery. Even after all these years, there’s a new experience to be found (the summer concerts along the Central Canal) or one to be repeated as often as possible (sharing a blanket and a glass of wine at Symphony on the Prairie).

Yet I worry about my home town. I worry that it is becoming more fractionalized, more partisan, more about individual interests and agendas than the overall good. I worry about the loss of local institutions to local ownership, whether it’s a bank, the newspaper or the corner drug store. I worry about all the griping that seems to be going on and wonder, other than me, isn’t anyone happy?

I suspect that’s the case in most cities. It’s just that I live and work in this one and I want to see it prosper in all areas, for the benefit of all its citizens.

Anyway, I still choose Indy and would encourage anyone to choose Indy because there’s so much to choose from. It hasn’t always been this way, something those of us with long memories of that literal Snoozeville of yesteryear - Naptown - need to remind folks about from time to time.

Go to www.IndyInsights.com to check out my blog.