in the sea of humanity

Hey guys. Guess what? There are a lot of people in this city.

Of course I knew this before, but never has it been more evident to me as it was this past Sunday afternoon when Paul, Joanna and I decided to brave the crowds at North Ave Beach to watch the Air and Water show.

Yikes.

I've watched the air and water show before, but then I was a safe distance from the launching point and therefore a safe distance from the sea of humanity that congregates there. Actually getting to the beach was half the battle! It seemed like there were more people coming than going, which made us fearful that the enormous beach was actually overflowing and the people we were meeting on the way were actually fleeing to a location less populated.

We persevered nonetheless and miraculously managed to find a really good spot. Though in the sun, it had a good view of the parachute dropping point and it also provided us with some nice neighbors to chat with.

If you've met Paul, you might be able to guess what kind of day we had. By the time we left, we were saying "goodbye!" "take care!" "see you next year!" to the groups of people around us. Paul even gladly gave up his seat (which we hauled all the way from the car) to an elderly lady who was watching the show with her grandkids. What a guy. I should also mention, Paul gave $10 to the car parking attendant, on top of the already steep parking fee of $30, and told him to buy something nice for his kids. Can you believe this guy?

So, despite the sea of people, it felt more like we were in a small town watching a 4th of July parade than in Chicago watching one of the largest air and water shows in the nation.

Many of you might not have thought twice about the events of the day, but for me, it was huge! It's been pretty rare for me to experience (or even see) that type of community amongst complete strangers here in the city. Quite refreshing.