A Day in Lansing

Yesterday, I joined a day trip to Lansing sponsored by the Dearborn Heights Parks and Recreation Department, and honestly, it turned into one of the more thoughtful days I’ve had in a while as we went to Lansing to tour Michigan’s Capitol and Supreme Court.

Before anything else, I have to thank my friend Jan for inviting me along. Without her, the entire experience probably never happens for me.

And looking back now, I’m really glad I went along.

The ride itself was fun. A full bus of local seniors heading to Lansing together with conversations happening all around us before we even hit the highway. It felt less like a formal tour and more like a group of people simply curious about Michigan, history, government, and seeing something different for the day.

Before heading downtown, we stopped at Cheddar’s for lunch.

I went with the fish and chips. Honestly, the fries carried the meal because the fish itself was just okay. It still felt like the perfect road trip lunch before diving into politics, law, history, and everything tied to them.

After lunch, we headed over to the Michigan Hall of Justice first.

The Michigan Supreme Court

The Hall of Justice feels very different from the Capitol the moment you walk up to it.

The Capitol has this old historic energy to it. The Hall of Justice feels more modern, controlled, quieter. Less emotion. More consequence.

Dark clouds were already starting to roll in over Lansing by the time we arrived, which somehow matched the mood of the place perfectly.

The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the state. It hears major constitutional cases, legal appeals, disputes involving state law, and decisions that can affect millions of Michigan residents. A lot of the conversations that happen inside eventually shape healthcare, education, criminal justice, personal freedoms, and civil rights across the state.

Walking inside, everything felt deliberate. Even the floors.

The state seal immediately caught my attention. You could feel the symbolism built into the architecture and design. Nothing inside felt accidental.

One of two words, etched in marble, the other being Freedom, outside the building that honestly stayed with me more than anything else.

Today’s writing prompt asked:
What’s a simple pleasure that brings you joy?

Oddly enough, standing there gave me an answer I wasn’t expecting.

Equality.

The idea that every person walking through those buildings matters equally whether they’re wealthy, sick, powerful, struggling, famous, forgotten, or just trying to survive another difficult season of life is something we still haven’t achieved. As serious illnesses have changed the way I think about dignity, compassion, and personal freedom even more.

That word stuck with me.

Inside the Courtroom

Sitting inside the courtroom carried a completely different weight than the political spaces we’d later walk through in the Capitol.

Courtrooms are quieter than people imagine. Not peaceful quiet. Controlled quiet. The kind of quiet where every word feels important before it’s even spoken.

Inside those rooms, legal arguments eventually become real consequences for real people like you and I.

Healthcare. Rights. Autonomy. Freedom. Justice.

And standing there made me think about one of Michigan’s most controversial legal and ethical debates: Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

Kevorkian became one of the most polarizing figures in Michigan history during the 1990s because he openly assisted terminally ill patients who wanted to end their suffering. Some people viewed him as dangerous. Others believed he was compassionate and ahead of his time.

Walking through here and thinking about his and various other cases felt different now than it probably would have years ago. Serious illnesses change the way a person thinks about suffering, dignity, autonomy, and control over their own body. And I’m no different.

The older I get, the less interested I am in telling other people how they should live, heal, suffer, or die.

Personally, I understand why people supported what Kevorkian was doing.

If someone is facing unbearable pain or terminal illness, I believe the right to choose how they leave this world becomes deeply personal. Much like debates involving reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, the Kevorkian cases forced Michigan to confront difficult questions society still struggles with today.

Inside this courtroom, judges’ debate over laws legality with lawyers opposing them and those defending them. While outside them, real people are trying to survive impossible situations. That difference matters.

Lady Justice

Before leaving, I stopped beside the statue of Lady Justice. Once wanting to be a lawyer but realizing the importance of free speech as equally if not more important.

It felt like the perfect image to end the Supreme Court visit.

Justice holding the scales with storm clouds hanging over Lansing outside. And ordinary people still trying to figure out how to live meaningful lives somewhere beneath all of it.

The Michigan Capitol

After leaving the Hall of Justice, we made our way over to the Capitol.

The closer we got, the more the building started feeling less like a tourist stop and more like a physical reminder of how much history, argument, compromise, and conflict has shaped Michigan over the years.

The Capitol dome rising above the trees almost feels cinematic when you first see it in person.

And then you walk inside.

Beneath the Dome

The first thing I did was look up.

Standing beneath the Capitol dome felt more like standing inside a cathedral than a government building. The painted ceilings, chandeliers, woodwork, and architecture all seem designed to make visitors feel the weight of government and history.

The deeper I looked into the dome, the more the building reminded me how small one person can feel against time. But at the same time, every law debated inside those walls eventually affects ordinary people living ordinary lives.

That thought stayed with me the rest of the afternoon.

Hallways Filled With Michigan History

The polished floors only echoed with footsteps from our group and guide. As there were no staff members, and lawmakers moving through the building.

Some rooms felt frozen in time. Others reminded me history is still actively unfolding there every day.

Oddly enough, as our group of 50 entered the Capitol, emergency weather alerts suddenly started going off across everyone’s phones nearly at the exact same time.

For a couple minutes, the building filled with warning alarms about destructive winds while everyone instinctively looked down at their screens.

Standing there beneath all that architecture and symbolism, it almost felt strangely fitting.

Outside the Capitol, real life keeps happening.

Storms.

Illness.

Bills.

Fear.

Families.

Survival.

Meanwhile inside those chambers, no lawmakers debated how those lives are governed, protected, restricted, or sometimes overlooked entirely.

Part of me wondered how many senators and representatives were actually working in their districts while ordinary people continued showing up carrying concerns, frustrations, and hopes someone in government might still listen.

Rooms Where Michigan Was Shaped

The old governor’s room especially stood out during the tour.

Walking through rooms once occupied by political leaders made Michigan history feel less distant than it does in textbooks. You could imagine conversations happening behind closed doors about Detroit’s auto industry, labor rights, healthcare, civil rights, education, and economic struggles that shaped generations of families across the state.

The House and Senate chambers carried a completely different kind of energy.

Especially empty legislative chambers.

Though generations of arguments about freedom, labor, healthcare, education, and personal rights have echoed through those rooms for decades.

Buildings like these don’t just preserve history. They preserve the debates society still hasn’t fully answered.

Walking Out Different

By the time we left Lansing, the day felt heavier than I expected when it started over fish and fries at Cheddar’s.

The Capitol and Supreme Court aren’t just buildings.

They’re reminders that laws eventually become personal. Every ruling, every debate, every vote reaches someone sitting quietly in a doctor’s office, around a dinner table, or trying to make impossible decisions about their own life.

That’s what matters most. Not the chandeliers or the marble not even the history. Just the realization that behind every law is a human being trying to figure out how to live.

Weathering the Storms Inside and Outside the Capitol

The seven justices were not in session. Neither were the House or Senate. I understand everyone needs time away, and no one can work around the clock, but in today’s political climate it also feels more important than ever for leaders to stay connected to the people they represent and continue doing everything possible to protect the citizens of this state.

For me, weathering storms has taken on a different meaning these past few years. Some of them have been health related. Others emotional, mental, and deeply personal. So, standing there outside the courthouse beside the word ‘Equality’ hit differently than it might have years ago. It reminded me that fairness, compassion, accountability, and basic human dignity should never depend on politics, schedules, or convenience.

Maybe that’s also the answer to today’s prompt about simple pleasures. Equality brings me joy. Not because we’ve perfected it, but because I still believe it’s something worth striving for. Seeing people come together, ask questions, learn, and care about their communities reminded me that even during storms, there’s still hope inside these buildings and inside the people walking through them.

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