Life

Life.

It can be found in the most unexpected of places. On my walk to class, I marvel at the array of vegetation in the forgotten places where water sits for days after rain while the rest of the city, though taken care of, could not easily be described in any way as green.

When walking through the city, I've noticed that life seems to thrive in the midst of challenges and adversity. In my observations I have seen stark contrasts between the different parts of the city. I went to visit some friends in the new upper-class area of the city the other day. There were beautiful walking paths, grassy parks, and creatively built playgrounds. It was an ideal place to live. Yet I saw not a soul outside. Through the windows of the houses I could see flat screen TVs and the glow of computers. In the area of town I'm in at the moment, more middle-class, I see the odd person walking quickly to or from some seemingly important business. Yet the area of town I walked through this morning, a place that looks like the slums you see in the movies, there were kids outside running through the broken glass playing tag. I passed by a place called the Boom Box, and there was a crowd of young people on the lot teaching each other some version of street dance. People looked each other in the eyes and greeted one another. In the midst of the deteriorating scenery there was a sense of community. In spite (or some might say because) of the use needles lying around, the broken fences, and cracking streets there seemed to be a spark of joy and expectancy in the air. So may I thank God in adversity, and may He use it in my journey to bring life and joy.