A Story To Tell, A Story To Give

Last weekend, Ben and I took a mini-vacation over to Chicago. Chicago is very near and dear to us, as we spent our first three married years together there. We call it our "growing together" years, since we started out in a 700 square foot apartment with a card table for a dining room table and no TV. Our first Christmas was spent around a 4 foot artificial tree that our friend let us borrow. Ah, the good old days.

By the time we hit our two year anniversary, we were able to splurge and have a nice, ritzy dinner at Cité Restaurant, located at the top of Lake Point Tower. That dinner was nothing short of magical: a clear sunset overlooking both the lake and skyscrapers, fireworks from Navy Pier, and a meal fit for royalty. Cité gave us a story to tell.

As we returned back to the city, we decided to glam out once again for Cité, but it was time for us to return the favor and give the restaurant a story. As we finished our dessert, I noticed that a grand piano was tucked in front of the Sky Lounge, so I asked if I could play it for fun. The delighted waiter gave me an enthusiastic yes, and off I was playing the piano at the top of the city for other diners to enjoy.

And such goes life. There are moments when we are given a story to tell, and others when we are able to give others a story. For artists, writers, and musicians, this is the core of our work. We are given stories in order to give. We have been given Old Art and Old Music in order to give New Art and New Music. It is a humbling and beautiful responsibility to have, one that should not be taken lightly.

So enjoy this video of our story to give at Cité!