Places Worthy of Love

“What all of us long for, I suspect, is to love the places which we live and live in places worthy of love. Not every place where people are forced to live or have been set down by work or family circumstance, not all places are lovable. But there are a lot of places that have been either polluted or economically ruined. There are a lot of places that have been homogenized out of existence by franchises and big box stores and so forth. But I think anyone who’s had a taste of a distinctive place, a real place—whether it’s a place where they themselves have or simply a place they have visited—everyone who has had such a taste of what a distinctive home place might be longs to have one of their own.”

~ Scott Russell Sanders, speaking about his book, Staying Put, on Open Line with Fred Anderle.