So, apparently Colorado Springs has an "image" problem, a problem that is due to national coverage of our city that just keeps on putting us in the worst light possible. We've made Jay Leno the other week because of the whole banning of tag issue in some of our schools. But there's been more...way more...and it's been going on for a really long time now (believe me, I know...I've lived here for over 30 years). I'm not going to name names or go into details because I think we all have a pretty good idea of the issues that plague us most. I would like to spend more time right now on some ideas for solutions, and praise those who are currently doing their best to help raise people's awareness of Colorado Springs in more favorable ways.

There is one thing I can say from true experience and it is this: sometimes you just have to toot your own horn or no one will hear you. We have a lot of darned good things here: a lot of nice, generous people, a lot of scenic beauty that we want to share with the world, a great city in which to raise a family, wonderful parks and open space that others in the country would give their right arm to have, school systems that, though challenged, are trying their best to improve every day. We have newspapers like The Gazette and many other weeklies that give people like me and readers like you a chance to dialogue with one another. This is a great start, for once we begin "talking" to each other, doors are opened, walls go down and the conversations begin, and these conversations can only get deeper and more meaningful over time.

The only way we can solve our image problem nationally is to start tooting our own horns locally. We have a lot of great stories to tell, but I think one of our real issues is that we are losing our connections with one another because we perceive that we are growing into a big city, and this is how people in a big city act. This doesn't have to happen, meaning, we don't have to be a sleepy, little town in order to still say "hi" to our neighbors, ask how our favorite store clerk's day is going and just overall have good, strong bonds with one another. I love YourHub's concept of breaking the city into little..well...hubs, where there is news about each of the city's neighborhoods, giving readers more of that personal touch and relevancy to what they read.

Now, this is just my opinion, but I think our identity problem is also more about the fact that we are not one, homogenous group of people, which is a good thing, but also tricky in the fact that we really can't describe us in a simple, quick stroke anymore. We have a big military presence here. And yes, we have a lot of church-goers. But there are many other layers to who we are. There are retirees here who relocated to this area in the '60s and '70s, as well as a whole new generation of families with small kids, sometimes living right across the street from one another. We have an ever-growing art, cultural and downtown scene. We have people promoting our region, yet those who want to keep our area a secret so we won't grow any more than we have to. I'll say it...we have a lot of angry people on our roads. I'm often one of them. We're angry because we feel like we're having to deal with 20 years of neglect and poor city planning with all this darned road construction, so as we sit in traffic, waiting to move ahead 20 feet so we can then wait some more, we contemplate the fact that we are not a small town, and never will be again, a fact some of us are simply mourning, but a fact we all just need to come to grips with. Once we do, we will soon find ways to build our own small, manageable communities, or hubs, to take the place of the old, smaller Colorado Springs which we all miss so much. When we can start being honest with who we truly are, and where we are going, then we can start telling our stories, stories that will reshape the image of Colorado Springs to the nation. Is this the perfect solution? Of course not, because this is a complicated problem, a problem that's been around for a long time, so naturally it will take time and creative thinking to solve this, but hey, maybe it's a start.

I believe this community is filled to the brim with smart and creative people who, if given the chance, can come together and tell a different story about our city and who we are that the nation will begin to hear and take an interest in. But it will take lots of voices in order to be heard, kind of like the story "Horton Hears A Who." If you've never read it, go to your library or bookstore and do so and you'll understand what I'm saying. If you have, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Every voice must be heard.

So now that you've heard from me, I'd really like to hear what YOU have to say.