In Chicago, Beauty is Everywhere

Today was the first day in a long time in which we saw SUNLIGHT! Actual rays of sun, lasting from sun-up to sun-down. It was fantastic!

Although today was a "work at home" day (which can sometimes mean hours spent in front of a computer or sewing machine), I made a point to take a walk down Michigan Avenue around 1:30 PM. Despite it being a Wednesday afternoon, there were hundreds of people around me walking back to work, window shopping, photographing the Water Tower, and anything else you can imagine. When summertime comes around, it can be a challenge just to walk a few blocks down Michigan due to all the foot traffic. Today was a welcome and refreshing change from all of that!

While the store windows are, of course, beautiful (my "mothership," Neiman Marcus, always draws me in, as do the fabulous Burberry windows), I really noticed the individual qualities of beauty on passerby today. My grandmother once told me that "everyone is beautiful in their own way," an expression which should be mandatory teaching in kindergartens everywhere. I felt like every mark of self-expression witnessed today (shockingly purple hair, Jackie O sunglasses, red Bulls puffer coat) were pure expressions; people who knew who they truly were, and adorned themselves in honor of that.

If I can do this on every street I walk, and not just on the bright, sunny days, my outlook on life may change a bit :)

In honor of those unique individuals...



and...



and...