Glow

Canton is a good friend of Akron. Although smaller in stature, Canton has many similarities with us. We both grew out of industry. We have smaller downtowns that don't get enough credit. We're affordable. We share an Airport. We depend on large Corporate Headquarters stationing here, such as Diebold, Timken, Goodyear, and Firestone. And we took a big hit with the recession (like everyone else).

I was driving in Canton yesterday to an appointment. It was a sunny, happy, quiet Sunday. As I was cruising along, smiling for no reason, something on the side of the road caught my eye. I turned my head towards the attention grabber, whatever it was, but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I looked deeper, wondering what my brain was getting at. Then I reminded myself that I was driving and I should focus my attention on the road. So I did. And then it hit me! The thing that my brain was trying to point out to me was this:

Sure as shootin', I stopped, parked, and walked a block to take this picture.

It was a house under new construction. Again, not the first time I've ever seen this. But it is the first time in a long time that I've seen a house under new construction. The housing bubble burst and recession to follow put a hurtin' on all forms of construction, but especially new housing. I heard story after story of housing contractors going broke because people could barely hold on to their current house, let alone build a new one. Without notice, projects like this simply vanished from our daily views.

But yesterday, this house was glowing. It was as if the Canton economy wrapped it's arms around my attention and said "Hey! I'm feeling good! I'm gaining back my health and it's pretty awesome! Be excited with me!"

Have you ever noticed that healthy people glow? Scientifically, this desirable radiance and color of skin is a result of good nutrition, optimal blood flow, and general healthiness on a cellular level. But unscientifically, it's pure happiness. Healthy people are happy people and that shows in their appearance.

Canton has begun it's workout regimen, reformed its diet, and its taking care of itself. Canton is glowing with new optimism and it's well on its way to re-establishing a healthy economy!

And what's good for Canton is good for Akron. Salud!*

* Salud is Spanish for Cheers to your Health! Definition