have courage, and be kind

geez, i don't know when i last missed two blog posts in a row.  it's been a busy several days around here, so it got to be a little rough trying to find time to sit down and get 'er done.  did ya miss me?  heh.

last week, the old lady and i attended a local art installation that sounded pretty cool.  the focus was on "bias, bigotry and bullying" and i'd heard that parts of it were modeled after the museum of ice cream that we'd been to earlier this year.  so while the bean was at a halloween party with her cheer team, we headed over.

there was a bit of a line to get in, but it went pretty quickly and we were at the front of it in no time.

as we entered the building, the first thing we saw was this neon sign that said "silence is betrayal."  indeed.

we had learned as we waited in line that the exhibit was divided into seven rooms, each with a different theme.  we were given guide books to explain them in more detail, and each room also had an iPad that gave more information about the meaning behind each exhibit.  the first room was dark and kind of haunted house-like.

from there we entered room 2.  a beautifully set table was in the middle of another dark room, with a phone at each setting that showed what each member of the family was looking at...instead of focusing on quality time with each other.  i think a lot of us can relate to this, yes?

bench seats were placed in the middle of the third room, with large screens that played three videos of testimonies given by locals who had each experienced bias, bigotry and bullying.

the lit path to the next room was really cool, yet also a little haunted house-esque.

room 4 contained three booths that were meant to be entered by one person at a time.  inside, you were surrounded by mirrored walls where everyone could see you, but you only saw a reflection of yourself.

the mood changed drastically in the next room, where the instagram-worthy main attraction waited for you to enter and take pictures.  there are over 18,000 hearts hanging down here, and when you're inside you're literally surrounded by love.  obviously, this was our favorite part.

room 6 was really cool to look at.  it was almost as if we'd been through all of the darkest emotions in the earlier rooms, a little self-reflection, and then there was love and now purity and cleanliness.

the last room was even more fun, with this swing and a wall full of little notes written from kids aged anywhere from 4 to 14 with reminders of how you can spread love and kindness in the world.

there was a gift shop at the end, which reminded me a little of disneyland, and then outside on a patio there was live music and refreshments, plus food for sale.  we didn't have time to linger, but it looked like a great setup for a lovely evening.

we thought it was very well done, really attractive with some positive messages and lots of food for thought.  it was free and open to the public for two nights, and i hope that they got the reactions and responses that they were hoping for.

now, go out in the world and spread lots of love and kindness!  we need so much more of it.