Summer in the City Inspires Me

Usually I keep my blog to quick stories and crafting items. I'm not the one that has the inspiring quotes and observations; that's my friend Debbie who can see inspiration in the smallest places. But today I was uplifted by something small on my way home from work. Tom and I are riding our bikes about a mile to the train and then walking three miles from the train station to work on nice days in an effort to get some exercise and save some gas. I actually really like the opportunity to ride and walk each day, even though we loose about an hour of time we normally would have had if we just drove 20 minutes to the the train that drops me off in the building I work in.

I work in downtown Chicago, and walking in the city is something of a challenge sometimes. You get caught up in the rush of a throng of people trying to get from here to there in a hurry. Like me, if they miss the train, they're loosing time they could have spent with family and other activities at home. But today I paused on my way from my office to the train for something unexpected and special. Stopped at a stop light on Michigan Avenue was a fire truck, and the fireman in the passengers seat of the truck must have been in a great mood (or just inspired by the moment) because he turned on the PA system and sang! Anyone who was in the vicinity of the stop light got serenaded with Summer in the City. He didn't have the best voice in the world, and the intercom kept crackling in and out, but I stopped and listened and then joined a handful of others who applauded him for trying to brighten up a stranger's day. Then I continued on my way to the train with a spring in my step in the 90 degree heat. Funny how something so little can have such a big impact.