Mental Yoga

The downtown Columbia discussion has become almost as stagnant as the August air around here. The smog of “who can sue who” has obscured the ability for us to dream, to be bold thinkers, to realize our opportunities.

Early this morning, I stopped by the Cool Town Studios website and read a four paragraph post authored by Neil Takemoto. Here are the first two paragraphs:

You've been to those evening neighborhood meetings... lots of talk about resistance to change, addressing complaints, reaching out to government, fundraising, what this committee and that committee are doing... it feels more like a day job, it's not fun, there's contention in the air, and it often doesn't result in making a progressive impact in your neighborhood.

Perhaps the group should focus on content, like what kinds of buildings, shops,
restaurants and streets you'd like to see, backed up by the investors willing to capitalize it, and leave the process to 'committees' during the work day. It's not as simple as that, but it is indeed time for a fresh and evolved model that reflects a demand-driven shift in our economy and culture.

After reading the post, it felt to me like a mental yoga. It allowed me to stretch, to center, to think good thoughts. I encourage everyone to stop by and stretch your minds a little. Get back to the happy place. Think about what could be better in downtown, and how we could do it. It is time to focus on what could be done rather than focus on what can’t be done.