My friend Sam and I decided to spend a day exploring Chicago. He grew up in the city, so he knew the best beach to take me to. It was uncrowded and very pleasant. We slowly tried to adjust to the freezing early June Lake Michigan water, and then grabbed some tacos al pastor and ate them on the beach.
We ended up exploring the Garfield Park Conservatory.
It’s so peaceful to walk around the conservatory without any deadlines or pressure to keep up with a schedule. I highly recommend going up there just to enjoy the greenery and fresh oxygen. Thanks plants!
Sam then took me to an area around Little Village where he grew up. He showed me an abandoned area that was used as a community art exhibit where many went to graffiti the old walls, repurposed for artistic expression. A list of rules were spray-painted on a door which encouraged people to use the space but to respect others’ work and to clean up after themselves.
Exploring Chicago with someone who grew up there is something I highly recommend. Even though we didn’t do a ton of things, as we drove around the city Sam told me things I never would have learned on my own. Getting to explore Little Village was something I never would have done without his encouragement. It was fascinating to learn from him, a Mexican-American, just how different his life has been from mine.
Actively listening to those around me is something I’ve been challenged to do lately.
It’s so easy to judge someone based on our own assumptions and pre-conceived notions.
But how sad would it be to have an idea of who someone is but never truly know them?
We can learn so much from one another.
the life of anna nofsinger 