I  rode my bike downtown today to help a friend work on a mosaic, which is dirty work, so I wore pants that I don't normally wear. As it turns out, they have loose pockets.  I retraced my steps but my wallet was gone.  It was pointless, the only way I'd get it back would be if somebody were nice enough to return it to me.  

If only.  Instead, they've already drained my bank account, sent me $300 into overdraft, and charged $1200 on my one credit card.  I have no money.  

Of course I'll get most of it back (in two weeks); this isn't about thieves, scum, or bad luck.  On our search for my wallet, my friend's bike broke down, so we stopped for help at a bike shop. The shop owner couldn't have been nicer, he stayed open late to help my friend fix her bike.  

We started talking about Colorado Springs.  As usual, the guy had plenty of negative things to say.  He'd moved here from the east coast and started his own bike shop a few years ago. He said his shop wasn't doing well, and if it fails he'll move away.  He said this city has no culture, no community, no pride.  I don't blame him for his pessimism, but I do blame him for being part of the problem.

All this got me thinking about what community means, and how do we change things around us that we don't like.  Since I've been in Colorado Springs, I've been extremely encouraged with this city.  I've felt a wonderful sense of community, and people are doing neat things.  I feel a buzz here.  Good things are coming.  

Pessimism is not the belief that things are going to get worse, it is the belief that we live in a static world.  It's the idea that things stay the same.  I believe Colorado Springs is a dynamic place- it's an optimistic place.  

When bad things happen to people, especially when they're caused by other people, it's easy to give up, to be disillusioned.  This is a big part of crime in the first place- even if you start off as a good person, the more you feel a victim, the more you've been cheated, the easier it is to go steal $1500.  

It's important to break the cycle. When something bad happens, turn it into something good.  We can do that for this city, this city that seems to lack so much.  We can make this a better place to live.  Of course we'll never be a major art hub or have the best music scene in the west, but if we just keep saying that things are getting better, they will.  

The shop owner has given up, he's let the city get him down, and he has reason to be disappointed.  However I wish he would have kept it to himself.  He doesn't need to bring the rest of us down, because it's his attitude that keeps people from contributing.  

When enough of us believe that we can make great things happen here, then they'll happen here.  

From what I've seen in the last two months, enough of us believe.  Play your part.