Life is not a smooth glide. From anywhere or toward somewhere. Life is steps. Bits and pieces. Some tiny. Some enormous.
I recall days long ago when an early teen in New
England, riding my bike through glens, woods and meadowlands on paths and lanes
beaten down by generations of strangers. The tires gripped the surfaces. The sound
of crunches among the pebbles and sand of the path. Loose and hard alternating
surfaces, I was taken by the granules of the path.
On paved surfaces the granularity remained but bonded by tar
and macadam. The way forward was strong, smooth, and regular. The granules of
the surface were still apparent. Of course, in New England, blacktop roads
battle brutal winters and freeze thaw cycles. Granules become loosened, often
in giant potholes. A bicyclist navigates these perils with care but the
realization that composition of granularity may vary but the only substantive
difference is loose or bonded.
Like life. We live with the bits and bobs loose or cemented
together firmly.
Loose is more difficult to travel, but it has transparency
that is honest and real. Cemented may be firm, but uptight is another adjective
apt for use. Uptight and rigid. Resolute against change. Smooth going but to
what end?
I was reminded of this the other day when working with a
client. Commercial real estate was the environment. A new property on the
market begged for description. But my mind kept going to who the possible
buyers and users would be. What might they be doing? What industry would they
be plying? What thinking and creating would be happening in these spaces?
In an old city with vastly changed cultures, people,
commerce and activity, the landscape is used differently today than 200 years
ago. In between the years witnessed changes and the village, town, city
adapted. New industries appeared. New buildings built to house them. Newer
industries followed and the existing buildings were altered to accommodate their changes, their needs.
Today, nearly 200 years later industry and commerce wear
even more faces. What industries are appearing anew? What collaborative commerce
will co-invent the new industries? Will networks and synergies pop up to
support them? Will space available for use be used for these startups and
growing companies?
If so, what are municipal and county governments doing to
support this evolution? Is the infrastructure there? The logistics of supply, shipping,
parking, technology, spacing and communications; are they all there or
developing to abet the new to birth and mature to exciting potential horizons?
These are the granules of modern society. Change. Adaptability.
Potential. New ideas. Failed attempts. Successful new products and services. New
commerce, new jobs. Fresh careers from the granules of the past.
Loose and available ready for a new assembly. Granularity. Like
building blocks. For each and all of us.
September 15, 2021
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