Sometimes things don't go as planned.?
Such was the case in preparing for this first "Louisiana at large" column, despite my best efforts.
After considering all the possibilities that Louisiana holds, I decided the first iteration should be about something simple, accessible to almost everyone — an early morning walk in the park.
I chose New Orleans' Audubon Park and thought, "I'll find someone who walks there every morning and convince them to let me tag along. Maybe I could even find someone who picks up trash — a person who quietly goes about making the world a better and more beautiful place."
The early morning sun peaks through the trees at Audubon Park on Sept. 24, 2024.?
Lo and behold, within minutes of beginning my search, I found the first of three different sets of people who walk Audubon. All would have been perfect. All were friends of a friend — or friends of a friend of a friend. And, for a series of valid reasons, all turned me down.?
With the third rejection, I decided, "I'll just go to Audubon Park at 7:15 in the morning. I'll strike up conversation with a person who is walking nearby."
Which is how I met 29-year-old Ciera Ellis.
I was six paces ahead of her when I entered the path. I walked alone for about 100 yards, then turned to her and asked a most unoriginal conversation-starter, "Do you walk here often?"?
She said she was getting back into it, but more importantly added that she just bought her grandmother the exact outfit I was wearing.?
And we were off.
Conversation came easy. She was born and has spent all of her life, except for two years after Katrina, in New Orleans. She was 10 years old when Katrina hit.?
"We left the day before," she said in a tone reserved for people who have lived through something that changed the trajectory of everything.?
Her whole family came back. New Orleans was home.
Jan Risher and Ciera Ellis at Audubon Park on Sept. 24, 2024.
In 2012, she graduated from McDonogh 35 and now lives in New Orleans' 7th Ward with her grandmother.?
She appreciates Audubon Park.
"I like the greenery, the scenery — even when it's 10 o'clock in the morning, it's still kind of cool here," she said. "If I go to City Park, it's a little bit warmer."
I respect a girl who knows how to shave a few degrees off a New Orleans morning.?
As fast walkers passed us and runners passed them, Ciera and I enjoyed a slow walk around Audubon.
She is the oldest of six — and is proud of her siblings, especially her 15-year-old sister, Naya Ellis.?Naya is part of STEM NOLA. She is winning national attention for Winglett,?her invention to detect strokes. Her efforts were recognized in a field of 2,549 from 50 states to earn her the title of National Stem Challenge Champion.?
"She got the idea from my grandmother having a stroke," Ciera said, explaining that Naya wanted to invent something to help not only their grandmother but other people as well.
These days, Ciera is a full-time Uber and Lyft driver. She says her work leads to meeting plenty of interesting characters.?
"I get to meet people from all over the world. I've met all kinds of people — all kinds," she said. "Ones who come down for conventions. Some that work in local bars. People who go to festivals. If you engage in productivity in New Orleans, you're going to meet a wide variety of people."
Ciera is considering getting a job on a cruise ship because she wants to see the world and "step outside this country and view other places."
I encouraged her and shared that, from my perspective, stepping outside this country has been a wonderful thing — that I'd like to believe doing so has made me a better version of myself.
We talked about my time teaching English in other countries. Ciera is an excellent listener. The two-way exchange felt different from a regular interview for a story. I guess when you approach a stranger walking on a path, it works best to tell some of your own story too.
Ciera is a reader and avid library user. We exchanged book recommendations, including mine about the?Louisiana Inspired Book Club selection, "I Never Thought of It That Way" and how it gave me new insights on seeing things from other people's perspectives — and the risks of only talking to people who think like we do.
"I don't believe I was ever one of those people. Even when I was younger, I was one of the people that actually stood up for the people who were different, like befriending those types of people," she said. "Sometimes they're great, amazing people."
She told me she's decided to stay more informed and less focused on social media.
I asked what made her decide to do that.
"From coming into contact with a lot of different people," she said. "I started seeing how different everyone really is and their viewpoints on life — and how the world's been going, how it turns."
I asked if she was worried about the country.
"No," she said. "Not at all."
We rounded a curve in the path and walked in silence for a bit.
She asked me if I was worried.?
I had to reflect on my answer.
The truth is I'm a lot less worried about our country and the world in general when I have conversations with people like Ciera.
A walk in the park is a good way to start the day, even when things don't go as planned.
Editor's note:?"Louisiana at large" is a new?weekly Tuesday column by Jan Risher, Louisiana culture editor, and will feature first-person accounts of experiences across the state.?