BETWEEN THE LINES: RUNNING AWAY WITH YOUR IMAGINATION IS QUICK TRIP

It doesn't take much for my imagination to run wild, lately. It might be the high levels of stress in my life that are to blame for my vivid fantasies, but I doubt it.

Although it seems like everything that could possibly go wrong lately has done so, I know things could be worse. After all, when the telephone company disconnected my phone service for no apparent reason last week, it did apologize even though it couldn't explain why it happened. And I didn't have to pay for any reconnection charges -- how amazing!

Overall, I think my tendency to think in the realm of fantasy has saved me from the evil monsters lurking around the corner waiting for the right moment to pounce and wreak more havoc on my life.

As you can tell, I have a vibrant imagination. In just a short time my attention span can turn from choosing color schemes and decorating styles for my home to pondering whether an advanced college degree would be useful in my career.

I've also run the gamut of choosing plants and shrubs for my side yard to revamping my front doorway. Because I have not come to any conclusions lately, I'll still be pondering those questions during my free time.

I really let my imagination run wild after a visit to Paducah's downtown riverfront during the Fourth of July weekend.

With a little imagination and some hard work, I could envision Cape Girardeau's downtown looking much the same -- or better. A little imagination can go a long way in just a short time.

I was amazed at the crowds of people who came to the riverfront on a Friday night (granted it was a holiday weekend, but no special activities were planned that night) just to eat dinner, window shop and visit with neighbors.

Some older couples even brought out lawn chairs and sat along the riverfront watching the few barges and boats that passed by them. Mostly they spent the time visiting with friends and folks who were seated nearby.

After walking through the streets, I realized that Cape Girardeau has the potential to operate a thriving downtown business district where people will gather on weekends and evenings to eat, shop and be entertained.

In my mind's eye, I could see throngs of people walking the streets to window shop among the boutiques or leaving restaurants and bistros after an evening meal. Or they could have been downtown for an evening stroll hoping to hear a local band playing on the street corner.

But then I realized, it's not just my imagination. We already have some of these things in town. We have the restaurants -- from the trendy cuisine at Mollie's to Broussard's cajun fare -- that offer reasons for trips downtown. And while the clubs offer entertainment, an outdoor band at a riverfront park would likely draw even more people. Look at the crowds that turn out for a music festival or Riverfest.

After just a few minutes of brainstorming ideas with my family, I was ready to get started on a revitalization project for the city. I know that many of the merchants and residents living in Cape Girardeau's downtown district are excited about the Main Street program and the prospects it could bring to the city.

And they should be -- I'm just as excited. I love the downtown district for its history and importance in the lifestyle of the city. And I want to preserve that element for the future. You can't really make progress until you learn from the past.

I'm ready to put those lessons to work in Cape Girardeau, and I think the place to start is downtown.

~Laura Johnston is a copy editor for the Southeast Missourian.