Stop #1: Crossing the Street

The first stop on this run is at the stop sign at the end of my cul-de-sac. Although only a couple hundred feet from my house, this spot has a lot of sentimental value for me. This is where my sister and I would wait every day when we were younger to catch the bus. While we waited, we would play with the dangling leave of the huge willow tree planted on my neighbor's lawn, treating it like a magical new world separate from the rest of the block. I think that this tree was one of the first natural things that I felt a strong connection to, even though I never really understood that connection was there until I was older. For Indigenous people, the willow tree was thought to be a sign of good luck that protected the people from storms and other bad weather. Similarly, I feel that this tree brought me good luck, and standing at the end of this road was a subtle highlight of my childhood.