Day 9: Ballin’ in the Windy City

It’s a beautiful Friday afternoon in Chicago. The sky is cloudless; the sun shines bright; the temperature is perfect; there is a cool fall breeze; and we are sitting serenely by the side of a neighborhood pool with views of the Sears Tower. There are no cares in the world at three in the afternoon. I am watching a young two-year old jump into the pool and play games with her mother. The innocence is palpable. And fortunately, I get to enjoy this same innocence every single day as we embark upon a new undiscovered city. Every city is different; every person is unique. Every life has its challenges; every relationship has its intricacies. Every experience is cool and refreshing. Just like the water in the pool that the two-year old slowly kicks behind her.

Are you jealous yet?

Well, in part, you should be jealous. We are free to relax and enjoy life at our own pace. We are not constrained by the normal conventions of reality. Constantly traveling into new worlds we are caught up in a world of limitless possibilities and infinite opportunities.

Isn't freedom enlivening and invigorating?

But forget my perpetual bliss for a moment. Look around you. Pull your eyes away from the screen of your computer or blackberry. Look at the people around you. Admire the pictures of your loved ones. See the glimmer in their eyes. We are all cool, refreshing, undiscovered, and innocent. We tend to forget that sometimes. We tend to forget that the same sense of freedom is always available to us—available to all of us!

Sometimes we forget that it is okay to swim through life like the two-year old in the pool. She has a life preserver to keep her a float and a mommy to catch her when she jumps. She has a water fountain to provide her with a button to push every third jump and a defiance to run to that water fountain as often as she pleases. She has a radiant smile and a winning personality. The look in her eyes exudes confidence, eagerness, sincerity, and honesty. She knows how to live her life. She has not yet forgotten.

Perhaps this is because little Emily doesn’t even know how to swim. She only knows the novelty of life no matter how many times she jumps into the pool. And yet, despite this seeming naivety, she clearly knows how to swim through life. Everything is at her fingertips and it will be for the rest of the day, and perhaps a lifetime.

Emily is a Big Baller, and hopefully, she’ll never forget!