Follow the Bayou

We had barely set foot in the crescent city and got swept away by all of our energetic aunts, uncles and cousins, and before we knew it a week and a half later we were still there, a trail of seafood, swamps and sunshine behind us. 

New Orleans proved itself to be a city full of diversity, culture, history, and a lingering untamed beauty amongst the modernity. Apparently quite a socially conscious city, we found and visited (with the help of family) 3 different youth-run cafes and a youth garden/job prep program. Also, did you know about some of the neat things Whole Foods is doing? In one "rough" neighborhood they've just opened a new location, focusing on selling products from local vendors, partnering with local community organizations, and working with the local population to learn how to stretch their dollars and cook with lesser known superfoods. We liked it so much we spent a whole 45 minutes there and went back a few days later for round 2! High Five Whole Foods.

Over and over again we heard that in New Orleans (specifically in Mardi Gras, as that was on the horizon) there is a place for everyone. It may not be the same for everyone, but there is something for everyone. And while that may not be the absolute best of all possible worlds, there is something to it.

One of our favorite new people we met was a nun living in the poorest neighborhood of the city, in the works of opening "Hotel Hope" for the housing and healing of homeless women. She told us: "Enough with thinking outside the box, that doesn't work anymore. We need to get rid of the box, throw it out the window."

Standing on the sidewalk in the warehouse district Sister Mary Lou, Libby and I look over our half-finished, newly painted chalkboard car. I say it looks like the batmobile, and we throw out new names for it: the Ideamobile, the Think Tank. Libby says, “Let's start a movement! (of chalkboard cars, she means)” Mary Lou responds, “I'm planning to start a movement, just not sure what kind yet.”

So, there is no box. A movement without a box is the kind of movement I would start, if I were to start one. What could we rally people around? An idea? A cause? How about liberty and justice for all?