spring settles in

I am writing this on a plane, heading to Newark for my best friend's wedding. I guess it takes a situation like a plane ride - when I'm  forced to sit still for a few hours but don't feel the least bit inclined to touch my homework yet - to help me make time to write. It seems every minute of March has been filled with something up to this point, and I'm grateful for a little breathing room in my schedule.

The last few weeks have ushered in spring in Chicago. The weather's been abnormal in the best way, reaching temperatures 20 degrees or more above average on most days. I woke up the other day to see a haze of green spreading over all the trees, which has only deepened with time. I've been able to go exploring in my neighborhood often over the last couple of weeks, especially along the river that runs near campus. There are parks and walking/biking paths that run alongside the river, which is a huge saving grace for me. As much as I love my new city, I've always lived in beautiful places where nature and the outdoors were all around me.

My first walk by the river - a few weeks ago, right when the weather began to take a turn towards amazing - left me with a myriad of images in my mind. It was the first spring-like, no jacket, run and play outside sort of day. This is perfect for people watching, which you get plenty of when you go for a walk on a beautiful day in a city park.

The first thing you notice in the parks are the children, who are everywhere. Loud, laughing, screaming, racing each other to the swings, riding their scooters, getting all dirty and sweaty and sun burned.

Then you notice the parents. You notice some differences among them. Some sit quietly, watching their kids from park benches. Others are preoccupied with their phones or other friends. Still others are completely lost in embracing their inner child, sitting up on the monkey bars with their children, forgetting about trying to keep their clothes clean or what time their favorite tv show is on that night.

Next, you notice the dogs, which are all over the place and may cause you to suddenly realize how pet-deprived you are at the moment. Dogs of all sizes and attitudes: some rolling  like crazy all over the place, deliriously happy to be outside; some running like their life depended on it after a slimy rubber ball; some trotting alongside their owner, completely subdued and well-behaved.

After you've gotten over your dog-envy and stopped plotting different dognapping scenarios, you notice the bicyclists. Chicago is a pretty bike-friendly city (though you'll hear the occasional story about biking disasters...some funny, some vaguely terrifying). You'll see all sorts of bicyclists. There are the uber-intense bikers, clothed in professional biking garb, racing against a clock you can't see. Not to stereotype, but these are usually guys with sunglasses, backpacks, and no expression on their faces. Next you'll see the cute bicyclist family peddle on by, complete with smiling baby or toddler being towed by their mom or dad's bike. If you're really lucky, you'll even manage to see a guy biking with no hands...texting....like I did. I couldn't decide if I was impressed by his remarkable balance and multi-tasking, or annoyed that he was too focused on his little screen to look up at the beautiful place he was passing through.

While you're walking along, you'll also notice the runners. This is by far the most entertaining part to observe, as people run in a million and a half different ways. You'll see your straight-backed, fist-pumping, jaw-clenched runners who look prepared to run through brick walls and up mountains without breaking stride. Then there are the people running so slow you pass them while walking, their feet hardly leaving the ground, and you can tell they hate every step they're taking. Best of all, you get to see the flailing runners, whose limbs are on the verge of losing control as their feet pound the pavement. [Seeing their crazy running is secretly terrifying - do they know they look like this when they run? What do we look like when we're running?!]

Beyond all those images, there is so much more to see in a city park on a warm spring day. Kites flying, fresh dirt being spread on a baseball diamond, people of all ages playing pick-up soccer games wherever there's enough space, an old man walking slowly on the grass next to the path, hoping to save his knees by avoiding the pavement, a little girl in a pink tutu, holding her parents' hands.

This is what I see in my new neighborhood, my new home. These things aren't particularly new or unique on their own, but my walk that day was renewing, refreshing. It's good to see the city become livelier, lighter, more like a real community that lives and plays together as winter fades away and spring settles in.