Every time I cross the bridge to the lakefill, I think of my grandmother. I remember she would take us to the lakefill and I would pester her to take me to the small beach island that was blocked off. She never physically took me there, but I had dreams that she had. And I decided to fulfill the dream that night and tread upon the sand I've always longed to touch.
So I dangerously climbed and ran across the huge rocks and I noticed two boys climbing beside me. I overheard them talking about discovering places and I told them- I'm going to that beach- do you want to join me? and they did. They asked me if I was one of those wild girls who like to party and I said- no, I just like going on adventures.
At first we climbed to the rocks closest to the beach, but though the distance between the beach and the rocks was short, the water in between was very deep. So we walked to the other side, climbed three fences, went through construction, and dropped down on the grassy sand onto the beach I had dreamed about.
The first thing I did was run to the shore facing Chicago and then I walked the edges of the water feeling the differences in sand with my feet. After getting my fill of the beach and walking on every exposed grain, I started talking to the boys. They were two incoming freshmen, went to ETHS, enjoyed climbing trees, and had a keen interest in astronomy. They shared with me the things they loved. The more outgoing boy loved seeing creatures in their natural habitat and loved collecting shells. The shy, but deeper thinker told me of his dreams to go to space and invent a flying car. Of course we bonded.
As we were leaving the beach, the quieter said to me, "The world would be a better place if everyone else was like you," and immediately I knew why he said that. These two boys were black and stood out among the affluent white people exercising by the lake. While they were running across the rocks and trying to reach the beach island- I saw many people give them looks and one lady even verbally berated them. Whereas no one even gave me, an unassuming baby-faced female, a second look.
I asked him about what he thought made people good and bad and if it was possible to have one without the other. Then he told me a little about his experience growing up as an ambitious black male in Evanston, how he was shocked that no one had stolen their bikes which were left unlocked 15 feet away from us, and his visions for the future.
Afterwards, I cajoled them into trespassing the construction area to go to roof of the new music building. This was my third attempt to enter the new music building since its foundations were laid but failed again and almost got caught. I should be arrested. haha. The world definitely would not be better if everyone was like me.
Anyway, after being attacked by a bat, I decided to leave. They asked me if we would see each other again and I gave them a convoluted mysterious response about the future.
But my soul was still restless and so I got in my car and drove to another beach in a northern suburb. Unlike the lit up blocked off beach at the lakefill full of people, this was was open, empty, and completely dark. It was a cloudy moonless night and there was just enough light to watch the waves crash onto the shore.
Alone, I stood at the edge with my feet covered with sand and water staring at the dark abyss of the horizon. I stood there for an immeasurable amount of time letting the waves wash over me. I realized that there is so much to learn from nature- not only from a scientific standpoint, but about life as well. In my mind I thought of the life and river metaphors I've read and how and why waves had a calming effect on people.
But more importantly I realized that water smooths, erases, and heals. And that the painful experiences that created craters in my life and the cemented imprints that people left in my heart would also eventually be leveled by the constant beating of time
and perhaps lead me to new shores.
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