a note from daughter

we're currently in the middle of my favorite month of the year, july. the true month of summer where a warm kiss of sun bounces off the cheeks of strangers and smiles are visible in the eyes of passerbys. this summer truly is one for the books. every year i get flown like a queen to northern michigan where i find myself surrounded by the familiar faces of those i call family. how easy it is to slip back into a world of effortless security - your mothers hands gently combing your hair, your father leading a trail of happy ducklings into restaurants, paying for your food and making you smile. instantly, you are at ease and you let your guard down. you don't need to please anyone. you don't even need make-up. conversation happens without the slightest effort and the tense stress of everyday life slowly melts away.

such a harsh reality shock to land back in chicago where the familial comforts we take for granted are stripped away. the gritty streets are full of both wonder and mayhem. a city as big as chicago has something new to explore on every street corner. it fills me with a sense of curiosity living here - you never know what to expect. but it's a love / hate relationship i share with my fellow chicagoans. i love that there's always something to do, people to meet. but sometimes i find i would much prefer living in a more remote location (like northern michigan) where the hum of motors is replaced with the sounds of wind, waves and distant chatter. looking into the night sky in northern michigan can really make a girl feel small. how strange that when back in chicago, the tables turn and suddenly it's the world that seems so small.

the month will end with a trip on the opposite side of the vacation spectrum. i will be wielding my independence and skipping out of the country and into lands strangers call home. sweden, norway, denmark and iceland are calling my name. a test to my organization, my sense of adventure and general curiosity of how other people live. these are socialist countries that make it work. countries where the general population is considered the happiest of people in the world. i cannot wait to explore the beautiful landscapes and meet foreigners. i adore observing other cultures so what a treat this will be. another destination i can finally cross off my growing list of places i would like to visit. i hope to come back refreshed, with perspective and appreciation for both mother nature and human kind.

until then...