In Praise of the Best

We’re fortunate to have so many fun and interesting diversions, but what makes life here special is something else…

There are variations on the theme, but the story goes basically like this:

“There I was, in (choose a favorite big city or exotic location) doing things I never dreamed of doing and meeting people I just couldn’t believe I was meeting. It was all very exciting. But then it was time to come home. And now I see Delaware in a whole new way. It’s an amazing little place. I never quite realized that before.”

I hear it all the time. Sure, there are those of us who left and never looked back. But there are plenty who returned, bringing their new perspectives and new ideas, changing things in subtle ways which, cumulatively, have had a big effect. And for every transplant who still hasn’t quite settled in or figured it out, there’s another who has embraced something unique.

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Distilled to its essence, that something is intimacy.

There are about 75 percent more people crammed into the city of Philadelphia than there are in all of Delaware, and many of those Philadelphians never meet the people on the next block. Yet as scattered as we Delawareans are, we can still consider people in the next county to be our neighbors. It has nothing to do with proximity. It has everything to do with relationships.

We support each other. We help each other. Every one who left and came back found old friends waiting to welcome him home. Every new acquaintance we make leads to five more—before we start circling back to people we’ve known for ages. We all joke about six degrees of separation because we know it’s more like two.

I’ve known some of my friends since I was a toddler. My parents and uncles go back 65 years and more with some of their closest friends. And everyone welcomes newcomers all the time. It’s a special way of being.

So this month, when we traditionally praise all the restaurants and stores and services that make Delaware so fun and interesting, it’s worth remembering that what makes us best is ourselves. Enjoy.
 


The Day Book

  • It was interesting to hear Bill Fasy of Delaware Park speak to the Committee of 100 against the expansion of gaming. Thank you to Marian Young of Brightfields for the privilege—and for the opportunity to run into my former Little League coach, Paul Gallagher. Part II of the debate next month.
     
  • As a proud Blue Hen, it was a great honor to introduce UD president Pat Harker during the BBB’s annual dinner. His speech about ethics among young people was inspiring. Thanks to Christine Sauers for the invitation—and to Tom Rush for the kind words.
     
  • The History Makers Award Dinner for the Delaware Historical Society was most enjoyable. That Pete du Pont is a very funny man. And who should I see at the Delaware Horticultural Center’s Rare Plant Auction a couple nights later? No less than the former governor himself. The event was gorgeous. What better setting than the conservatory at Longwood Gardens? Thank you, Wendy Scott.

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