What Are We Waiting For?
THE URBAN SCRAWL
December 1, 2008
gmail.com
Are we so caught up in the past and in the future, that we haven’t thought about living today? A day doesn’t go by in Halifax when someone doesn’t utter it will be better -- when we have more space, when I have more time, when I make more money. The inverse can also be heard; it used to be easier to get around, it was less congested, less expensive. But rarely do I hear someone mention how great it is to live in Halifax today.
Halifax is a community filled with an endless list of activities, adventures and places to go. However, so few of us actively participate in our community. Our downtown is filled with an assortment of shops that provide us with one-of-a-kind items from around the world as well as those made by local artisans. Dining opportunities are endless, from the corner pub to gourmet at its finest. Yet, one can drop a pin in the downtown on most evenings and hear it fall.
Since moving here two years ago, I have watched the downtown slowly shut its doors, with businesses closing and the windows becoming covered with the all too familiar brown paper. The unfortunate part of it all isn’t that the businesses had poor customer service, or a bad business plan, it’s because we forgot about them. We forgot to spend a Saturday afternoon strolling downtown, and enjoying our community.
If shopping and eating isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other opportunities. How about taking in a Rainmen or Mooseheads game? Our city has two fabulous professional sports teams that play regularly to a half full arena, when other cities of our size are consistently playing for sold out crowds. We dream of having an NHL or CFL franchise in Atlantic Canada, but if we can’t fill an arena now, what hope is there these teams will see our city as a viable business opportunity in the future.
What does all this mean? For starters, we need to forget about what has happened in the past. We need to look forward to the future, but not at the expense of living now. Get out, enjoy your community, support your local businesses, watch a game, take in a gallery tour or theatre production, celebrate the talent and success that is vibrant and alive in your community and share it with others.
Live Here. Live Now.
Christina Biluk is the Director of Community Engagement with FUSION Halifax. Visit FUSIONHalifax.ca to find out how you can get involved to help make Halifax a better place to live, work and play.