doesn't hurt to be reminded

Given our new America, one teetering on implosion, it might behoove us all to remember why this country is so remarkable, albeit flawed.  Diversity in culture and heritage gives this melting pot its flavor.  Downtown LA is the perfect representative of this glorious stew, offering  sights, sounds, flavors (literally) and a continuous vibe of multicultural synergy.  It's alive down there, teeming with breath, sweat, and the heartbeats of thousands on any given day.  On the weekends, it's all kinds of kinetic and bustling, energetic in ways that is uniquely its own.

Seen on the street...

I've been down there before, certainly.  But today was special.  One of my youts (as I like to call them) invited me to tour the city with her as my guide.  I love this young woman.  She was my student assistant, along with another yout up until this past June.  Both of them and another friend of theirs, who became another one of my youts by proxy, are quite possibly the brightest young women I've ever met.  They are second generation latinas, ones who worked their tail ends off in high school, graduated with honors, got accepted into one of the country's most competitive universities, graduated this past June, and within less than two months found jobs.  These young women are our future and they will contribute to their and our collective communities in immeasurable ways.  That they still want to hang out with this old broad is beyond me.  But I don't argue it.  I feel tremendously lucky to have their youthful, optimistic energy around me any opportunity I get.

Well, today, I got one such opportunity.  I jumped on the Metro Red Line to downtown and met them for three hours of exploration.  We walked alongside street markets, into The Last Bookstore, over to Grand Central Market  and ended up in Grand Park noshing on Pupusas (my first time trying) in front of the fountain.  Pretty darn perfect way to spend a Sunday.

The Last Bookstore...I loved this place; it has what we all need 

- books, ideas, creativity, art and diversity...

Bustling, busy, Grand Central Market, where we got our Pupusas today...

 I think I just found heaven on a paper plate!...

Grand Park... 

It was also the first day in the past three weeks that I felt a slight spring in my step.  Hanging with the young will do that for you.  They haven't yet learned they are mortal, nor do they care, and they will simply not accept can't in any form spoken or otherwise. These girls in particular are courageous in ways that I can recall being when I was their age.  I don't miss my twenties, but boy do I miss that brave outlook and spirited hope that I had burning in me back then.   It certainly doesn't hurt to be reminded of it from time to time.