Ella's fever has been over for the last twenty-four hours and it seemed like her symptoms had rounded the corner. Jerry left on a golf weekend with his buddies and I decided that a Native American Pow-Wow was just what the doctor ordered. Earlier in the week we took a quick jaunt to Chinatown for dumplings. We sat in the back room of our favorite bakery with a bunch of old men, chain smoking, drinking tea and barking at each other in Cantonese. Ella and Viv watched wide eyed from their folding chairs. On the way home, we cruised through Pilsen as I rigorously took mental notes on our next outing. I know that there are at least five taquerias with our name on them. I began to wonder this weekend about my minor obsession with exploration. I guess I've never spent much time questioning it. But now that I have children, I want them to understand that there is a huge wide world out there just waiting to be observed. And the more you observe, the more you learn about yourself. The more you observe, the more tolerant you become. I want my daughters to be able to see that success and happiness can be defined in so many ways and may lie beyond what they see each day in Oak Park. I feel that it is my job as a parent to expose them to life beyond their backyard. What we live day in and day out is such a tiny slice of the pie. I realize that these are only small excursions in and around Chicago but why not get to know what this city has to offer in some deep and meaningful way. This Saturday night, as they danced to the throbbing beat of the drum circle, purple feathers flying, I knew the message was on some level received.
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