Daily Herald opinion: The constant change of the suburbs comes down to the attractiveness of them

This editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Herald Editorial Board

We all, at times, struggle with change. It's only natural.

We grow comfortable with our jobs, our homes, our surroundings.

When our favorite restaurant changes its menu, when a new business owner takes over our favorite store, it disrupts the comfortable picture we've created.

To those of us who resist, object to or even fear change, let us be reminded that the only constant in this world is change.

Think of a job that hasn't really changed in centuries: the blacksmith.

Take a closer look, and you'll see that while the output is much the same as it was, many blacksmiths now stoke their fires with electric blowers. They use power drills and even acetylene torches to get the job done faster and with less manual effort.

With apologies to Pete Seeger (and The Byrds, who brought it further into public consciousness in 1965) and the Book of Ecclesiastes from which Seeger pillaged, "To everything, there is a season. And a time to every purpose under heaven."

A number of recent Daily Herald stories point to the constant churn of change in the suburbs:

• After nearly 60 years in business, the Elk Grove Bowl was closed in April and in the past week was demolished to make way for apartments.

• For 36 years, Fritzl's served schnitzel and a variety of German staples in Lake Zurich. After the building sat empty for nearly a year, the owner of the fire station-themed Station 51 restaurant in Antioch announced plans to turn Fritzl's into a much larger version of what he's done in Antioch.

• Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills debuted a new concept as the popularity of regional malls nationwide dwindle. Stratford Square in Bloomingdale, Charlestowne Mall in St. Charles and Spring Hill Mall in Carpentersville and West Dundee are all looking at ways to rethink their futures.

Comments on such stories share the regret that even if we hadn't eaten at a particular restaurant or watched a horse race in person for years, we will miss it.

But we should take heart in knowing that we live in the suburbs, which clearly are a magnet for established businesses looking to expand, entrepreneurs willing to take a risk to try something new. They make up a place where leaders can dream big - look at Rosemont's entertainment district, Schaumburg's forthcoming one and, of course, Arlington Heights' interest in laying claim to a new Chicago Bears stadium on the site of the storied Arlington Park Racecourse.

Not too many areas of Illinois can claim that kind of business attraction.

In some places, when the major employer in town closes, the rest of the businesses in town go with it. That's rarely the case here.

Change can be hard. But it's inevitable.

To everything,

Turn! Turn! Turn!

There is a season ...