The sun was out. I found a parking space convenient to my destination. I was meeting friends at an art museum, a favorite pastime. We had plans to try a new—highly reviewed—restaurant after our art exploration.

Walking near the National Museum of Mexican Art is, in itself, an immersive experience of color and expression. Every block and every corner seems to be begging to be looked at thoughtfully, gratefully. There are murals everywhere; on the sides of garages, beauty parlors, and bodegas.

You might say it was A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

The weather and conditions surrounding my experience was just the beginning.  It was more than a pleasant way to spend several hours. I was surprised by how connected to LIFE I felt.

Every November, I like to go to the National Museum of Mexican Arts to see their Day of the Dead exhibit (Dia de Muertes). Their galleries of haunting photographs, folksy crafts (like ceramic figures of Jesus and family driving a crowded bus), and offendras (alters created for a recently departed loved one) radiate a Disney-esque Coco vibe.

This year’s exhibit was especially poignant. The artwork didn’t just make me think about my lineage and the characters that came before me in my family. The ritual altars and installations were more somber than usual, and I was led to think about death, as loss, in cultural and political terms.

While the artwork celebrates the lives of individuals, this year’s exhibit was dedicated to the Mexican Immigrants who were killed in El Paso.

Death is natural part of life, but prematurely cutting short a soul’s earthly journey is cause for special thought. The grief from loss can be eased somewhat by a sense of meaning, like recognizing sacrifice within a noble cause, and I keep hoping that people will get tired of tragedies brought on by hate and will increase efforts, as citizens, to end them.

In wandering through the exhibit, I felt a wide range of human emotions; inspiration, anger, awe, and hope.

After my friends and I saw everything in their special exhibit and permanent collection, we stopped in the gift shop for some retail therapy.

We called 5 Rabanitos, the restaurant we planned on trying, and asked them to make a table for six ready, which was a very good idea as the place was filling up when we got there. It was  a short walk from the museum.

As we were taking off our coats and getting settled at our table, I saw an old friend that I haven’t seen for years. He was at the next table with his wife, step-daughter, and granddaughter.

“Howard?” I called out a little tentatively.  Even though his was a familiar face, Pilsen was far from downtown and the lakefront high-rise where he lives.

He smiled in recognition. Not the time or place for a long conversation, he shared his opinion that I will love the food because the head chef came from Xoco and wished me good luck on my books, which he knew will be available soon.

That moment — of seeing a friend in a restaurant far away from either of our homes — filled me with joy.

I’ve run into people I knew in unexpected places before like when I ran into a childhood friend at a holiday gift show four years ago. I also ran into someone I came to know when I was living in England while I was seeing the sights In Paris, at Napoleon’s tomb. It was a surprise that we would both be tourists at the same time.

Small world experiences are fun, but this was different.  We ran into each other in a NEIGHBORHOOD that neither of us would think of as OUR neighborhood.

In my approach to gratitude, I identify “Neighborhood Discoveries” as one of the key themes I may look for in any situation to re-ignite good feelings. I was thinking about neighborhood as in proximity. I tend to be grateful for things that I know I like that are EASY to access.

I didn’t think of a neighborhood as a place where I can spend time with my NEIGHBORS. Whether an affection for good food, or art, or concern for each other’s safety, or love of freedom, or healthy curiosity, or compassion for other people and respect for the earth –- sharing what’s important to us makes us NEIGHBORS.

Understanding that It’s always A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood when you see everyone as your neighbor is no small thing.