Mercy in the Madness

For about half my days over the last 15 years, I have parked at a garage at 11th and Orange each morning, and looked out over downtown Wilmington – the banks rising up towards the sky reflecting slick glass and metal, the functional office buildings and hotels, and the churches, smaller and much older, islands of graceful stonework and stained glass, with flowers and small trees edging their tiny plots of land within the cement landscape.

I have long thought of Wilmington as my city, though I live in the ‘burbs a few minutes outside of city limits, and I have always thought of it in terms of need and mission. What should my organization do for the city? What needs can be met at the building where I work, where dozens of community service agencies reside? Why is crime so high? Should I give to the people on the corners asking for cash, the ones I see every day? What are the problems and the solutions for my city? How do you solve addiction, mental illness, trauma, suicide…

But lately as I’m writing more about places I visit, I’ve started to look at my city through a tourist’s eyes, and there’s a lot of beauty here. The many old churches for one, especially in the spring when the trees turn lacy pink and white, in the late afternoon when the light is rose-gold and I drive home. There’s St. Josephine’s garden where cherry trees and roses bloom in season, and the paths along the rushing Brandywine River, the streets where old row homes are kept in immaculate condition and charmingly decorated, the ornate old library, and the sprawling green cemeteries dotted with blooms.

Sure, there is poverty and crime and problems, just as in any city. It’s just that you get to know them better when you live there. And those things exist alongside the charm and vibrancy and caring of the area and of the people here, just as they do elsewhere. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I love Wilmington, and I’m happy to be here and to look at it from a different perspective when the opportunity arises. I’m glad I am learning to appreciate my city more these days.

I recently saw a quote by EB White that said, “I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” This resonated with me because as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized the importance of doing both – if we want to be truly happy and fulfilled, we have to provide meaningful service to others, to the world, and to sustain that service, we have to see the beauty in the world too. It is a worthwhile thing to plan each day with this in mind.