The spirit of New Orleans

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trees

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shading lovers, drunks, and dreamers for

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hundreds of years. And I trust a city

1:24

that always makes way for music. I feel

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like every time someone sneezes, New

1:29

Orleans has a parade.

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The city has some of the most beautiful

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architecture in the world, but it also

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has one of the highest amounts of

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abandoned properties in America.

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I live near this house, and I thought

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about how I could make it a nicer space

1:43

for my neighborhood. And I also thought

1:46

about something that changed my life

1:48

forever.

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In 2009, I lost someone I loved very

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much. Her name was Joan and she was a

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mother to me. And her death was sudden

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and unexpected.

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And I thought about death a lot.

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And

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this made me feel deep gratitude for the

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time I've had and

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brought clarity to the things that are

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meaningful to my life now.

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But I struggle to maintain this

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perspective in my daily life. I feel

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like it's easy to