The divisions among us seem to draw more attention locally and around the world each day. Borders and biases, causes and confusions, upsets and upheavals — they all challenge us to bridge the divides, but too often we just don’t know how. At holiday parties, we carefully curate our guest lists and manage seating arrangements. There are so many taboo topics that we are sometimes at a loss for what to say.
That’s where Humboldt Park comes in!
It’s a place that brings everyone together. Neighbors waving hello, families sharing blankets on the grass, and strangers bonding over a raccoon spotting. It always feels like home, even when it’s full of people I’ve never met.
When you make a year-end gift to Humboldt Park Friends and/or join us as an active volunteer, you gain a world of bridge-building topics. You will learn to talk for an hour about the work of cutting and hauling cattails and how important that work is to the health of the lagoon. You will be able to spark up conversations with your neighbors about mulching trees and planting native pollinators. And, with your increased park involvement, you will shut out some of the noise in favor of breathing the air, noticing bird calls, and enjoying butterflies.
Becoming a volunteer has allowed me to see the scope of Humboldt Park’s impact on the community. The breadth is amazing — music in the summer, skating in the winter, and educational and enrichment programs for kids and adults throughout the year.
From Facebook alerts to Ring Doorbell notices, we are pulled to our phones more and more often. Most of us are less likely to get actual phone calls but instead spend time each day sorting through confusing texts and spam calls. Many of us feel burdened. Others feel disquieted.
And then, there’s Humboldt Park. With a daily stroll, we get to see the thaws and freezes, the swelling of the lagoon, and the work of the guys grooming the ice. We get to hear the laughter among the skaters, the squeals of the swings, the various calls of the birds, and the greetings of the dog walkers. There’s the couple who carry white mugs of coffee every morning as they stroll. There’s the poodle mix that waits to be petted by everyone he meets. The chain hitting the flagpole at the Chalet in the wind. Ice shining in the moon where sleds have turned the snow into a speedway. The crack of a bat on the softball field. Music wafting over a summer picnic celebration. Birders quietly pointing across the water. Buds. Insects.
At a time where our smartphones send endless alerts and reminders, some important, some not so much, strolling through Humboldt offers a real reminder that being in nature is good for our mental and physical health. In honor of those who protected and curated our shared space, our generation is called to maintain, preserve, and celebrate our park for the next generation.
Please make a trip to Humboldt Park to start the new year right. And make a year-end gift right now.
We will all be better off because of it.