Do you remember the childhood story about stone soup? There are many versions, but the main premise is a hungry soldier going into a town in search of food. The townspeople turn him away. The soldier sets up a pot of water on a cooking fire. He proceeds to make soup with a stone and water. Curious, one by one, the townspeople become involved by contributing food for the soup. This leads to a delicious pot of soup which is enjoyed by the soldier and the whole town. This change in attitude is what I like to call the “stone soup effect.”
The “stone soup effect” does not always involve food. It can be applied to neighborhoods. It can happen quickly, but most often, takes time. It can simply start with a neighbor cutting and disposing of overgrown brush in his yard. Other neighbors then follow suit by cleaning up their yard. Then, someone paints their house, which inspires other neighbors to paint theirs. The neighbor who starts the first project or “stone” ignites interest in other neighbors to start their own project (like the townspeople with vegetables for the soup). Before you know it, you have a delicious “pot of soup” which takes the form of a spruced-up neighborhood.
The 700 block of South West Avenue is the result of the “stone soup effect.” This block of houses built in the 1960s has gone through the neighborhood circle of life (new > longtime owners pass away > house sold > becomes a rental > neglected > neighborhood eyesore).
The “stone soup effect” on West Avenue began with a neighbor renovating and painting his house. Then, across the street, a house that was a homeless refuge has been completely gutted and remodeled. Renovations have been done on another house that had been missing a garage door for years. A young couple has moved into yet another house on the block and they are currently remodeling it. While there is still work to be done, the revitalization of the 700 block of South West Avenue began with one “stone”— a neighbor painting his house.
The moral of this tale is to urge you to be the soldier with the stone on your block. Look around to see what you can do to ignite the spark. Something as simple as cutting weeds, picking up trash or painting can be the start of positive change. You could inspire your neighbors and end up with an improved neighborhood, or block. Let’s spruce up Springfield!