We walked in a beautiful state park today, just for an hour. The trails were well-marked and well-maintained, the woods were pretty and peaceful, the people we saw out playing with their kids in the woods were having a sweet time. It was something that I hope the people of Indiana are proud of--not just the natural beauty but the fact that they set it aside and have cared for it and that they take pleasure in this thing they have made together not far from home. No need to drive for hundreds of miles when you have state parks of this quality. Now the fact that a shared pride is the last thing we seem to be able to manage in this state and in this country today--almost any common ground, really--is deeply troubling. The shared understanding of the things we own together--is that understanding all but lost? The evidence is still out there, Hoosiers, just down the road in places like the nearest state park.