The late author Maya Angelou offered wisdom on embracing new things when she said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
Change is a part of life, and boy, has the Hilltop seen that recently.
In the past year, Bradley has revealed a new mascot, big hires have brought fresh faces to the administration and a spring construction project redesigned an intersection most people cross on their way to campus.
But as fondness for Kaboom! spreads and new administrators settle into their Bradley home, the majority of the community remains negative about the new University Street and Main Street intersection.
So we have to ask: why?
Is it because the redesign is so terrible, or is it because we’re so used to it being a certain way that we don’t want to see it changed?
The fact is, the reconstruction is here to stay. As Angelou would tell us, that means it’s time for us to embrace the redesign and fix that which we can control: our attitudes.
Newcomers to the area that are unfamiliar with the construction project would see a sleek, upscale area welcoming visitors to campus and uniting Bradley with the community through an intersection that features the “B” shield. The pedestrian “scramble” periods would reduce anxiety as they try to navigate two busy roads, and the free on-street parking spaces would help them get where they need to go.
But those of us that became accustomed to the pothole-ridden, pre-construction intersection are blinded by our inabilities to accept change, leaving us frustrated by a few negatives that will hopefully be worked out in time.
Rather than drivers being annoyed by the 30 seconds of pedestrian crossing, we should recognize the fact that most of us can spare that half-minute and appreciate the short break it provides from a frantic work commute.
Instead of complaining about backed-up traffic, we could seek alternate routes, venturing into the surrounding community and becoming more aware of what lies in our surroundings.
Angelou’s approach to change is applicable to the Uni./Main redesign. Rather than allowing ourselves to be unhappy about situations we cannot control, let’s change our attitudes and look for the benefits of the new intersection.
