So why do I want to build a list of everything good about Lakewood? Here's why ...
Let's suppose you have a date. Maybe at The Ram at 7, or Appleby's at 8. Or let's suppose you're married, and planning a night out. Maybe Sizzler at 6 or Good Fella's at 9.
Or let's suppose you are getting ready for your first school dance,
Let's suppose you're about to interview for a job. Or let's imagine you are going to make a presentation to your co-workers, or show up at the shop first thing in the morning to greet customers.
These are all very different activities. And we are all very different people. Yet almost all of us will get ready for these very different activities in the same way. Most of us will make a point of trying to look good enough so that we feel proud of our appearance.
We will bathe. We will dress according to our definition of dressing nicely. You wouldn?t come to church or the store without wearing something appropriate. You might wear something in which you will feel attractive, or respectable, or breathtaking, or whatever effect you are going for.
Your appearance becomes part of your identity. Your appearance becomes a part of your self-confidence. In this sense, a city is like a person. A city has an appearance. A city has an identity. Cities have pride. They have an appearance that helps shape their identity.
As it goes with appearance, so it goes with pride.
I would suggest that it is much, much harder for a city to develop pride than for a person. That's because a city consists of a lot of persons, of course, but also because a city generally only hears negative talk. A city generally hears more negative talk than an individual would hear unless he or she was a supercriminal.
Imagine, for a second, that you are me. C'mon, just for a couple of paragraphs. Suppose that this is the only thing that you heard about yourself:
Sex offender to move to Walter
Murder in Walter: Details at 11
Dangerous prison planned for Walter
Critics say Walter overspends
Jim Forman Live at 5 at Walter: fire destroys home
Heck, I would be feeling pretty bad about myself, even if I am the nicest guy in the world (why are you coughing?) Sure, there's the occasional headline like
Walter park to get new playground
Walter man wins award
But that hardly balances out the negative stuff in the public mind: sex offenders, criminals and prisons will do that to you. Their presence, even in the mind, is overwhelming.
So enough walking around without a bath, or without clean clothes to our image. I propose that we actively promote our city. I propose we openly say nice things about Lakewood, to balance out the negative news. I would propose that doing this is every bit as important to our city as showering and dressing up for a job interview, or for church or work or school.
In order to do this, we need to keep a list of the good things in Lakewood - much like we keep our clothes lined up in a closet so they are available for examination and for choice.
There's a pretty easy pattern to copy for boosting a city's self-image. Here's one scenario: An artist develops a logo - maybe a swirling rainbow topped by the words Lakewood Pride, or something like that. We print up a bunch of pins and stickers with this design. When people ask, we explain why we wear the pin and draw upon our list to name just a couple examples of what is great about our town.
This is something we can't do unless we strategize and be systematic about it. We have to work actively to remember the good news, because bad news is as loud and colorful as it is corrosive.
But that talk of a pin is jumping several steps. Maybe we as a city, or some of us as parts of the city, need to talk some more about different approaches (and maybe a more original symbol). Either way, we need a list of good things to say about Lakewood. You can say these things if you think Lakewood politics are good, or bad, or if you're indifferent. You can say these things if you live in Tillicum, Oakbrook or around Lake Louise. If you have suggestions for this list, send them along! .
I know each of our service clubs could add a half dozen wonderful items in one breath. Send those ideas along. I need your help capturing those ideas in writing, and there's a link to do on the page with the list.
(I should tell you that many of these points come from a wonderful summary that Council member Claudia Thomas recently developed for a talk to Lakewood United. I'm also grateful to Dale Stowell for the latest news from Pierce College.)
I know there are many more good points and interesting information that one can share about Lakewood. Send them along. Let's see what kind of list we can develop.