A Short Stopover

I made it half way across the country on my way to Malice Domestic in Washington DC over the weekend. After spending two days in Chicago, I will continue on early tomorrow morning. I noticed a big change in Chicago from when I was here in March. Everything was brown and dead looking then. The trees had just naked branches. When it snowed as I was leaving, it seemed hard to believe that spring had just sprung.

Now there is green everywhere. Lawns are coming back to life. The trees have pale leaves beginning to unfurl. Other trees are covered in white blossoms. I noticed a bush that was alive with purple flowers. When I passed a row of lilac bushes, I saw the hint of the fragrant lavender blooms getting ready to open. The yellow forsythia are out. Tulips are everywhere, tiny pansies and violets are peeking through green leaves.

It reminds me of spring when I was a kid and lived here all the time. All we wanted to do was be able to go outside without a coat. It occurred to me that when you’re a kid whatever surrounds you is what you take as normal. Now I realize how narrow that is.

It fascinates me to walk down these familiar streets seeing things from different perspectives. I remember when the University of Chicago students were so much older than me. Then one day we were contemporaries. Later I realized I was old enough to be their mother. And now, I could almost be their grandmother.

Wasn’t it just a moment ago that I was wearing my rust colored jumper, waving good bye to my mother as I headed into Ray School for my first day of kindergarten?