The second day of our Chicago adventure was significantly more laid back. The plan involved walking. Then getting on a train. Then being home. Not unlike the last time I was in a major city, I relied on the fact that they are jam packed with activities to ensure that something new happened. At first that didn't seem to be as solid a plan as I'd hoped though.
We walked around looking at buildings and monuments for most of the morning and early afternoon which, though lovely, wasn't an activity or a new experience for me. By midafternoon, both Justin and I were pretty tired and looking for a place to settle in for a little while. The group decided to meet up at a book store a few blocks away so Justin and I went on ahead to scope out the joint. On the way there, we noticed a line of horse-drawn carriages waiting along a side street.
With the rest of the group about a half hour behind us on the walking tour, we decided that a carriage ride would be just the thing. We got to sit back, take in the city and do my new thing all in one swoop.
And our driver looked snazzy.
I began to get a renewed sense of purpose with the project as we rode around the city. See, my family used to live in Connecticut so we'd go into New York City every once in a while to take in a show, look around or just experience the city. In all those years that my folks lived there, I always wanted to go on a carriage ride, but I never got the chance. It was one of those things that I never had an excuse to do until just now. As we walked past the carriages I thought to myself how I'd always wanted to do it and realized that the project gave full license to go for it.
It helps that Justin is awesome.
Our ride took us out along the shoreline of the lake, past Northwestern Law School and back in around some of the nicest little enclaves in Chicago before depositing us right back outside the book store where we started. At the end of it, after spending a half hour basking in the romance of the city, I found myself utterly giddy to have had the life I've had. All the good, the bad, the ugly and the difficult has come together to put me right here in this moment.
And the result of all these individual moments? Riding on a horse-drawn carriage with a man I adore in a beautiful city with a lovely breeze. Then we saw this biker get hit by a car. It may or may not have taken me out of the moment. But then, likely lightning, the moment was back. And I silently thanked God for blessing me with the idea for and ability to do this project. In my recent lull, I started to forget how life changing its already been. This is why I have to finish. Not some silly game of will power, but because it has already taken my life a different direction than I thought it would and I can't help but finish, if only to see where I end up.
No comments :
Post a Comment