This weekend we’re re-airing a long radio story I produced about my hometown in Northeast Ohio, ironically named The Center of the World. Ironic because where I’m from is the center of nothing, in the middle of nowhere. The town is a blighted mess. Most of the businesses, and many of the homes, are boarded up, including my parents’. Domestic abuse and opioid addiction and apathy are rampant.
I left that place thirty years ago. Although much of my family and some old friends remain there, I’ve tried my best never to look back. But I do, with a mic in my hand. I got much more than I bargained for. It has been two years since this piece first aired. Things on the surface still are not better. GM’s Lordstown Plant closed, gutting the community.
But this past Thanksgiving I was confronted with the realization that the people I love are actually happy. So maybe it’s high time I quit feeling so guilty and start being proud of where I’m from.
Charles