Young Field Park, Marshall-Shadeland: Between Bland and Complete Streets
Two men are working on an old pick-up truck in the Bland Street parking lot: one behind the steering wheel and the other hunched over the revving engine. A young-ish woman in a fuchsia-colored tracksuit power walks through the lot and runs down the stairs. In the background, the grinding sound of heavy equipment scraping up asphalt is punctuated by the repeated blare of a car’s horn. Clearly, this motorist has yet to realize it’s an ineffective strategy when confronted with a lane closure.
I pass through this scene and walk to the furthest edge of Young Field. Like other ballfields I’ve visited in the last few weeks, this one is surrounded by a tall chain-link fence with an outfield that flanks an eroded hillside. With a mix of trepidation and excitement, I slip through a spot where the metal links have been pried open and peer down the slope leading to Geyer Avenue, pleasantly surprised to find the land without any illegal dumping or decades of discarded tires.
I take a moment to smile and enjoy the simple kindness that our world sometimes provides.
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