Daevon Reynolds grew up in Austin on Chicago’s West Side, where burning off energy at the neighborhood park around people selling drugs wasn’t safe.

His mom would take her two boys to the vast Columbus Park nearby to play. Reynolds and his brother would fight with sticks and make up stories about vampires and wolves in the woods.

Now 27, Reynolds comes to the park to get away from stress — to meditate or do yoga, and write poetry and paint. He exudes warmth; he says he’s intentional about finding moments of joy.

Reynolds lives in West Garfield Park and works nearby. Like a lot of people here, he thinks about his own mortality. This is a community where residents can expect to die earlier than in any other part of Chicago. Reynolds’ great-grandmother died from a heart attack in her 60s.

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