taking stock

You might know about this little project I have where I take pictures of things all over town and put them on a blog. Now wait, hold on. This much more than self promotion, hear me out. I spend a good portion of the day walking around the different neighborhoods in Philadelphia and I'm always amazed at the beauty and the horror and the uniqueness and the craziness that is all around us. It's amazing. truly amazing. Every single day I am completely awe-stricken and blown away by something I see in Philadelphia. Going on my own personal scavenger hunt makes me slow down and take notice of everything around me. It's amazing what I see. It makes me appreciate Philadelphia. It makes me appreciate my life.

It's so easy to take our surroundings for granted. We run across the same crap again and again every single day while that path from home to office to where ever wears deeper and deeper into the earth. There seems to be nothing interesting on our street, on the highway, in the parking lot. Nothing doing at the office or the kids' school or in line at the bank. Same old same old at the grocer and the cleaners and the big box store that we find ourselves in once a week every week whether we need something or not. Routines can get stale while we use our time walking and driving to worry about bills and think about dinner and wonder if the iron was turned off or try to remember whether the cable bill is due in three days or in five so can it be mailed or should it be paid online and who's turn is it to pick up the kids from -um- where the hell are they at on Monday evenings?

Lately I've been playing this scavenger hunt game of mine with Jake. We walk home together from the daycare every afternoon, which is about a mile down the street. I ask him to find me a Liberty Bell, a Flyers sign, a stray cat, a sign in another language, a bus stop, a Phillies emblem, an American flag, a brownstone home, a marble staircase, or to point out the direction of the skyscrapers downtown, where New Jersey is, where the sun goes down, and which way Poppy lives. It's a fun way to introduce him to our city and which way the world spins. It's a fun way for me to see Philadelphia through the eyes of a two year old.

I encourage you to do the same. Slow down. Take a good look at what surrounds you. You have filled your home with things you love, things that love you back. You have chosen to live in a certain neighborhood, a certain town. Spend some time with it. Get to know one another. See what you've been missing. Show your children why you fell in love with the place in which you are raising them. Stop for ice cream. Explore your downtown. And the next downtown over from you. Keep going if you have the time. Smell the proverbial roses. We are lucky enough to live in an amazing area full of phenomenal people, rich history, and world-class architecture. Our city is surrounded by gorgeous rolling countryside that spreads in every direction. That countryside is bordered by mountains and an ocean and a bay that is all yours, all mine, all ours.

Let's enjoy it.