The weight of this limestone paperweight on my desk is more than just mineral ...

I sit here in the golden hour, turning this salvaged scrap of Chicago masonry over in my palms. It is a coarse, stubborn relic of a city that refused to remain embers, choosing instead to become a cathedral of steel and glass. Once, these streets were a swampy grid of ambition; today, they are a vertical symphony where the shadows of the 'L' train dance across the faces of those hurrying toward a future we haven't yet named.
There is a specific joy in seeing how the spring sun catches the terracotta ornamentation of the Reliance Building late in the afternoon. I recommend standing on the corner of State and Washington just as the light begins to fail; the glass seems to breathe, reflecting a legacy that is never static, only evolving. We are all just masons in this city, laying one day atop the next, building a skyline that will eventually outlast our own voices.