To live in the Philadelphia region today is one of the best feelings in the world. While we’re all sleep deprived this morning (the celebrations were very necessary last night), the level of excitement coursing through every person that walks past you is incredible.
After 28 years, the Philadelphia Phillies have won the World Series.
So this morning, Philly is flowing with emotion and relief. There’s almost an electric feeling to it. This morning we are proud of our team and we are proud of our city.
This is the Philadelphia attitude in its purest form. The you-thought-I-couldn’t-do-it-but-I-did-it-anyway attitude that I love. The attitude of an underdog when he is on top. To live in Philadelphia this morning is to feel like you can change the world.
But that same attitude is always there.
You can find that attitude in Love Park on Monday nights. That’s when a group of suburban twenty-somethings who hang out with the homeless who frequent there. They bring sandwiches, cookies and drinks to pass out. When winter hits, they bring sweatshirts, blankets and coats. They listen to the stories that are rarely heard – stories that come from people who have spent years sleeping on the benches of the city. They are there, rain or shine, because the homeless are still there, rain or shine.
They are there to love the unlovable. We may say it is impossible to do it, but they do it anyway.
This is what I love best about Philadelphia. It is a city that genuinely cares and truly wants to change. It is the City of Brotherly Love. Not because of its well known nickname and not because you can go to Love Park. It is because you don’t have to live within the city limits to love and be loved.
I’ve written at least ten different versions of this piece over the last month. Some focused on the Arts in Philadelphia (Theatre Alliance of Greater Philadelphia is a great resource if you are a theatre junkie like myself and one of my fondest childhood memories is seeing Yo-Yo Ma at the Mann Music Center). I wrote about the nightlife and I wrote about the history. One version even read like a guidebook. But none of those versions could tell you about the love and the desire for change that fills the collective heart of the city. Today is the best morning to tell that story.
Philadelphia is a mixed bag – our crime rate is higher than it should be. The New Orleans mayor said our city was dirtier than his city. Several months ago, a disabled child died from neglect when there was supposed to be case workers involved. And everyone is aware of the now infamous “This is America – Order in English” sign. But then there is this other side of Philadelphia – that side that sees past the flaws to the potential. This is a city of culture, history and this attitude that cannot be duplicated.
Whether I wanted it to be or not, my heart has always been in Philadelphia. My zip code may tell you that I live in the burbs but I will you that I live within walking distance of a SEPTA train station (and I’ll even go so far as to argue that Philly is as much defined by its suburbs as the suburbs are defined by Philly). Philadelphia has my roots and my memories but more importantly, Philadelphia has my future.
This city is a bit rough around the edges, a bit abrasive. It’s a tough love city. To live here, you have to know what you want. And then you have to ask for it because no one is going to tell you what it is you really want and no is going to hand it to you either. It feels harsh at first but then you realize its home.
If you are like myself and you call Philadelphia home, I’d like to invite you to the upcoming Change Maker Philly event on Saturday November 22nd, 2008. If you would like to help us make a difference in the City of Brotherly Love, please join us for our kick off event. If you want to help, can’t make it or have other questions, please do not hesitate to contact myself or Kathrin Ivanovic. We believe in Philadelphia and we hope you do too.
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