I recently attended a photo shoot for this issue for an article I wrote about an adult group home here in Edina. While there, I enjoyed seeing the unique personalities of each of the residents.
I couldn’t help but smile when Rob burst out with a huge smile, arms batting back and forth in excitement. I was so touched when Corbin took my hand as she made her way outside for her picture to be taken. I loved hearing about what activities Leo enjoys and seeing Katie open up after an initially shy introduction.
I felt so good after that photo shoot, filled up in a way I hadn’t felt in a while. To use a phrase from Edina resident and artistic director of Children’s Theatre Company, Peter Brosius, there was a lot of “generosity of spirit” at that house. From the residents themselves to the parents, the caretakers who quietly stepped in when needed, and my photographer and art director who were so warm and encouraging to all throughout the process.
And I think it was also so refreshing to step outside of my own bubble, into someone else’s life and experience that’s so different from my own. It’s far too easy to live insular lives, filled only with people who are like us. But it’s often when we step out of those bubbles that we create room for new levels of compassion, joy and understanding.
I feel really lucky to have met so many warm, open-hearted Edina residents in the making of our June family, pets and senior living issue—and not just from the above article, but in the educators, civil servants, business owners and artists featured in these pages. As you read this issue, I hope you enjoy getting to know them as much as I did!
-Amy Overgaard
