Skip to main content

Fast! (Not)

Facebook threw me this advert this morning:

"Want to create blog content FAST - without having to write a single line of text?

Download our 'Perfect Blog Post Template' and get your post up and running Today!"


Really? Well, maybe we don't all write blogs for the same reason. It seems silly to me, but then I look at blogging as a form of self-expression. Although, when I wake up at six am and know I have to walk out the door at seven-thirty, the idea of an automatic blog-writing product is awfully tempting.


Facebook also reminded me that five years ago today we hosted a party at my house to celebrate the groundbreaking for the Oakland Mills Walgreens. The progress of that corner in my neighborhood from abandoned, boarded- up bank to "the corner of happy and healthy" was anything but fast. Thanks to naysayers who had nothing else to do with their time but show up and oppose it, bringing a healthy, functioning business to Oakland Mills took what felt like forever.

 



And let's not forget going door-to-door getting people to sign a petition opposing the Walgreens, while disseminating lies of how it would destroy the Village Center and attract a "bad element" to our village. That took time. Time to break down what other people were trying to build up. Time to spread fear and anger.

 


My mother taught me to cast a questioning eye on things marked "new and improved." I understand that one cannot simply jump for joy every time a project dressed in the clothing of "progress" walks down the street. There should be plenty of learning, and thinking, and discussing--which is why Howard County has procedures in place for doing just that.

 


So we're probably never going to see a product advertising:

 


"Want to create progress FAST - without having to fight a single angry mob?

Download our "Perfect Progress Template" and get your project up and running Today!"

Ain't gonna happen, as they say. If progress has many parents, it also has many detractors. Some folks come to the party with the desire to go backwards. Some desperately cling to whatever they've got right now. And some have absolutely no idea what's going on, because they are busy living their lives and no one has made the case to them to tune in to local issues.

The groundbreaking for Walgreens is behind us. The groundbreaking for the Chrysalis ampitheater is fresh in our minds. In Oakland Mills the County is offering an opportunity to improve a long-neglected apartment complex. I wonder how that will go over?

"When you feel how depressingly slowly you climb, it's well to remember that Things Take Time." -- Piet Hein

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more