Peace in the Suburbs

The last one, but maybe my favorite because you can't beat this tranquil view right behind the Northwestern arch

We were taking a walk along the Lake a few weeks ago when a partially hidden white sculpture caught my eye. We immediately changed our route to investigate, and soon found ourselves toe to face with a very large Buddha head that seemed to be emerging from the ground.

I soon learned that this was one of seven scattered throughout Evanston as part of the Ten Thousand Ripples Project—a beautiful effort to remind each us of the importance of peace. We soon made a scavenger hunt of it, grabbing coffee each morning and making a pilgrimage to a different location until we had scouted them all. The time spent together finding each of them was not only serene, it was a lot of fun too, because it encouraged us to get out and see parts of our community that we otherwise rarely visit. There are other locations for the Project in and around Chicago, and if you’re able to get out and find a few, I can promise that you'll be at peace too.

The head that started it all: on the banks of the Dawes Park Lagoon, one of our frequent hang-out spots in town

Arguably the most visible, and the trickiest one to visit: at the intersection of Green Bay Rd. & McCormick Blvd.

Don't know how I missed this one so many times: at the southern entrance into downtown Evanston

In my old stomping grounds: off of Main St. on Ridge Rd.

In an unexpected (and hard to reach on one-way streets) spot among the roses: right on Howard St.

The one that took us to a place we had never been: at the base of the hill in James Park