My Four Mile Loop (GO BILLS!)

I went on a four mile run today. Photos from the houses I went by are included below. It was loop that included my neighborhood, parts of Hertel Avenue, a little bit of Parkside, and both sides of Main Street.

Market value of homes in this four mile loop range from approximately $140K to over $1M. There are people of the Christian, the Jewish, and the Islamic faiths (likely many other faith groups too). A church, synagogue, and a mosque are all within walking distance.

There are immigrants and there are people whose ancestors fought in the American Revolution.

There are Native Americans, whose ancestors (Seneca Nation of Indians) lived in what is now Buffalo long before Europeans arrived.

There are people who are firefighters, police officers, teachers, doctors, architects, software programmers, artists, baristas, bartenders, engineers, storekeepers, Uber drivers, investment bankers, and members of the military.

There are yard signs for all types of political parties, candidates, and issues.

There are people who lost family and friends during our prolonged battle with COVID-19, during the white supremacy motivated mass shooting that broke our hearts in May, and during the recent blizzard that gripped the region for over two days.

That's the four mile loop where I live. A microcosm in some respects of our kaleidoscope country.

All are united by the Buffalo Bills, a team that embodies the collective spirit and noble resilience of Buffalo, NY. I’m not from here, it something I really admire about the people here - they are so tough, so resilient in the face of tremendous adversity.

We saw Damar Hamlin collapse and our hearts sank, we prayed, and then marveled at the first responders, doctors, and nurses that helped save his life. We stared in disbelief when Nyheim Hines returned the opening kickoff of the next game, less than six days later, for a touchdown.

Storybook, legendary, all real. Destiny manifested.

If championships were decided the palatable willpower of a community, it would be no contest at all. There might be some close calls along the way, but make no mistake:

We are going to a win the Super Bowl.

GO BILLS!