Philly’s Free Library had a great view of the Eagles on their way down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Art Museum and Rocky steps for speeches and accolades from their many fans. The underdogs are now wonderdogs.
Never having been a football fan or watched the Eagles play before, I was surprised at my reaction to the game on Sunday. What resonated was the sense of being an underdog and finally coming out on top. Everyone on the team, even the coach, had been criticized as a low performer. Most, or all of us if we are honest, have been there or are still there. Wading around in the muck and not giving up but not succeeding either.
The celebrating team on the way:
Philadelphia needed this win, and in the five years, I’ve been here, encouraging events and accomplishments keep trickling in. Regardless of what they say on TV, it’s not always sunny here. You can’t ignore the have-nots – the poverty, homelessness, crime, and now an opioid epidemic.
But an influx of energy and hope is here too. More graduating students are staying after being priced out of New York City. Retirees and empty nesters from the burbs keep moving into condos in Center City. Additional residents fuel innovation and growth.
The library was closed but a popular spot:
Will I ever be a super bowl writing champ? As an indie writer on the vast Amazon river of books without an agent? Probably not, but I’m encouraged to keep trying and putting down one sentence after another and enjoying the small wins along the way.
Congratulations to my new hometown!
Karen Stensgaard is proud to be a Philadelphian. She is the author of the novel AQUAVIT, the first book in the Aquamarine Sea Series with a second novel underway. AQUAVIT is available as a paperback from Amazon and Ingram Spark or as an e-book from almost everyone else. Libraries have free access via Overdrive. Link to free chapters on Amazon
KAREN STENSGAARD 