This I Believe: Keeping it Simple
Housemates Michal, Laura and Rachel on their morning run.
It is no secret that it has been a number of months since my last blog entry. I would love to say that this is because I am an incredibly busy and important person, whose days are simply too packed to be bothered with blogging, but…that would be lying. Yes, my caseload at Juvenile Regional Services keeps me pretty busy but I definitely could have written an entry.
I have actually started six different blogs and could not make myself finish them. Although they were all about important, socially conscious topics, I just could not finish an entry. With so many significant events in this city like the devastating oil spill or legislative sessions making huge decisions about the future of education in New Orleans, everything I wrote about felt like it didn’t measure up. It couldn’t possibly encompass everything that is happening here and everything that I want to convey to my friends and family members who are not here.
So, I found a solution and it fits nicely with the “This I believe” format that my beloved roommate Michal used a little while ago.
I believe in the simple, seemingly unimportant, undeniably beautiful occurrences that happen in the city of New Orleans. I first realized that this is something I strongly believe in when two of my roommates and I started going to the JCC every morning to run. It is a great system because typically I would not choose to wake up an hour earlier than I need to and go for a fifteen minute walk in weather that is already in the triple digits. However, because we all rely on each other to be accountable and act as motivation, I do.After a few weeks of this routine, the crossing guard at the school that is up the street from our house started to remember us. He is a delightful man named Clarence who now always waves to us from across the street, and after a close call, he also promised to not let us get hit by cars (which is very helpful because at 6:55 am, I would not describe myself as alert nor would I say my eyes are totally open).
The people at the front desk of the JCC also started to recognize us. One woman in particular would always smile and comment about how great it was that we always came together. She was also very concerned if one of the three of us was missing, and always asked where the third musketeer was. Last weekend, we actually saw her out on Frenchmen Street in the Quarter. She hugged all of us and told us that we brighten up her mornings because we are always so friendly and we were happy to tell her that we felt exactly the same way about her.
Who knew that a simple decision about running every morning would end up making us feel so connected to our neighborhood and so connected to this city? It is truly a testament to how special the people of New Orleans are. It is people like Clarence the crossing guard and our front desk friend that have made me fall so deeply in love with New Orleans and made me realize that I am certainly not ready to leave. I have decided to stay here indefinitely and I look forward to more everyday occurrences that make me realize how lucky I am to live in and love this city.
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