My Everyday Bliss

Blissful Moon

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 17:04:00 PDT

Today is a spectacular day in Chicagoland: the skies are bright, blue, and filled with puffy white clouds; the air is light upon your skin; and it feels as if you can see forever. I drove Cat and her dad out to Rock Cut State park to spend a few days camping and the park was full of folks out enjoying the beautiful weather.

We settled them into a really nice campsite surrounded on three sides by trees and then headed over to the lake to get a few things from the concessions stand. The concessions stand sits on Pierce Lake and the beautifully placid lake was full of boaters out enjoying the warm weather. I walked to the end of the pier and took my shoes off and dangled my feet into the warm water. Kicking the water, I enjoyed the splash of the cool water against my legs and I laughed as all my cares and worries floated away.

Driving back to the campsite we spotted a wild turkey on the side of the road and were reminded of the beauty with which we share this world. I felt terribly envious as I left them to head back home as I realized I'd be slaving away in an office for the next few days while they enjoyed the beauty of nature. My only consolation was that I'd be back to enjoy one final night of camping with them on Tuesday and I'd get to enjoy the fun of the campfire, S'mores, and all the goodness that camping entails.

Heading home I looked up and saw a beautiful partial moon against the bright blue of the sky and was reminded of how blissfully wonderful nature really is.

Graduating with Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:17:00 PDT

Today my little girl graduated from high school. It was a long journey for her, but she made it with pride, with honor, and with a smile on her face. I was filled with tremendously mixed emotions as she dressed in her purple cap and gown and prepared to leave high school behind her.

Graduation was at high noon and I dropped her off at the school at 11 so she could meet her friends and line up. Grandma met us at graduation and we headed in to watch her walk across the stage with her friends. Remembering my own graduation, I knew she was feeling happy, excited, and just a little bit afraid as she prepared to face the future. Once we were settled, I saw Cat looking around for us and her face filled with happiness as she realized the people she loved most in the world were there to watch her walk across the stage.

The teachers and administration stood to honor the students and to remember the greatness of the class of 2010. The class filled with pride as teachers reminded them of the great things they had achieved in their four years in high school and of the great things they would achieve in the future.

As I watched the faces of the young adults filling the auditorium, I was filled with a sense of hope for the future as I thought about how wonderful and responsible my daughter's class was. Every one of them I had interacted with had been polite, respectful and hard working. I knew they would all go far.

All too soon, they called Caitlin's name and she walked with pride across the stage to retrieve her diploma. She walked with grace and class and I was filled with pride at how far she had come in four years and the greatness she would accomplish in her life. She has very definite goals and is looking forward to going to UIC and studying biology. She's already a proud member of the UIC flame.

Congratulations Baby Girl! We're proud of you.

Drums of Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 04:42:00 PDT

Making change in your life is scary and hard and it seems that life is always at the crossroads. Sometimes when things seem out of control the only thing you can do is go with the flow and try to see the big picture versus micromanaging every detail of life. I'm realizing that the place I work is incredibly dysfunctional and that all of the drama at work is really bad for me as I follow it like a soap opera instead of focusing on the things that are really important: family, home, my life.

I'm taking major steps to stop working so obsessively as I don't want the words "She was a great team player at work" on my tombstone. One of those big first steps is to develop a social life and a social network outside of work so that I have more folks to talk to than just the same few people to obsess about who did what and said what at work. As fascinating as it is to have the SAME conversation over and over and over, it's really not healthy to spend so much energy obsessing over things I really can't change.

Last night I went to a meditative drum circle. I've gone to them before and the last one I went to was outside by a bonfire and it was an incredibly mystical experience as the beat of the drums and the flickering bonfire created a world between the worlds where the energy pulsed and the negativity was carried away by the beating drums. As part of that circle, we drummed inside an old silo and the reverberations were incredible. I've also done White Buffalo Woman circles with women and those are incredible expressions of energy.

It was with high hopes that I headed out for the drumming circle last night and I was slightly disappointed when I got there and found that I was the only participant other than the instructor. However, he was very patient with me and taught me how to beat to the rhythm of my own heart. He was also very insightful as he pointed out that I like to control things and it is difficult for me to go with the flow. I have to know the outcome before I even start and it is difficult for me to accept life as it unfolds. Those are all very true statements and it is interesting how those tendencies expressed themselves in my drumming. He recommended that I spend 15 to 20 minutes every day drumming to start realizing that I did not have to control every aspect of my life.

Driving home after drumming, I felt as if the negativity and stress was starting to be released and as if I could breathe for the first time in a few days. Drumming was definitely very empowering and was something I know needs to be a regular part of my life.

Early Morning Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 17:42:00 PDT

Since hubby decided to start walking to the train station in the morning, I'm left with some extra time on my hands so I decided I'd use the time to start walking too. There's something so crisp and clean about the air in the morning and the world seems alive with possibilities. I've also found that walking in the morning helps bring a calm to me that seems to stay with me throughout the entire day.

This morning Luke and I headed out into the cool clear air and as we walked I found myself becoming calmer with each step I took. I took the time to observe my fellow walkers and runners and found they fell into a couple of categories: the couples walking together arm in arm, the mothers out for a walk with their compatriots before settling in for a day and home, and my fellow dog walkers.

Some of the couples walked arm in arm with the familiarity of years in a relationship, others walked side by side as if they were just getting to know each others, and others, although walking together, seemed to each be in their own little worlds. The mothers ran or walked at a fast clip while talking, and the dog owners moved at the pace of their furry companions.

The dog walkers were of most interest to me as I had to make sure that I knew their location at all times so that a fellow furby didn't creep up on Luke and cause a massive reaction. Luke has been known to bite other dogs, so it's important that I make sure I know where the other dogs are in relation to him. This morning we encountered a few dogs at a safe distance and Luke, predictably, started yelping as if he was being mortally wounded. I pulled him along and eventually he resumed his gait, although he did cast a few longing glances in his fellow dog's direction.

As we rounded the corner toward home, I took a deep breath and thought to myself what a wonderful way this was to start the day.

Practicing Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:19:00 PDT

Bliss is one of those things that we sometimes feel should just be there, something that we should just be open to accepting and not something that we work at. However, Bliss is one of the hardest things in the world to have because it is so fleeting, sometimes elusive, and always difficult to pin down. Sometimes when the world should be golden, you just can't find your bliss because you're too caught up in what you're doing to enjoy the blissful moments that life always provides. And sometimes when things are at their darkest you'll see a flower bloom and remember that there are good and wonderful things in life.

Life in today's world is full of trial and tribulation: hundreds of thousands of people are out of work, those that are left are often doing the work of multiple people, folks are losing their jobs, and some days it doesn't seem like there is much to cheer about in the world we live in. But despite the gloom and doom and the sometimes desperate times, if we want the world to get better we need to be the catalyst for change and one way to do that is to practice bliss.

Practicing bliss is one of the most difficult skills you'll ever learn because it requires getting outside of the doom and gloom that fills the news, letting go of your personal problems long enough to let bliss find its way into your life. It requires looking up from the darkness and accepting that bliss really does exist and it is all around us.

Life has been difficult lately at work and at home for a variety of reasons and I've let myself lose sight of the fact that bliss really is all around me. As you might have noticed, the lack of bliss in my life has taken its toll on my blog as I haven't been writing about bliss in quite a while. However, I've had a lot of time to think and dwell about my problems and I've realized that they seem bigger, scarier, and more insurmountable when I'm not practicing bliss.

Practicing bliss means that I have to consciously put myself in a position to accept the good stuff and the bad stuff that is out there in life and to realize that the bad stuff will eventually be resolved. It may not be resolved to my liking, but it will be resolved. Practicing bliss also means that I have to quit hiding under the covers and thinking that everything will be okay just because I'm wishing it will be okay. Practicing bliss means going out and looking for the one small thing every day that will make me happy. I've practiced gratitude lists at times during my life and the help a lot, but some days I need to think about the things that make me blissful and make a conscious effort to recognize them:

Some of the things I'm blissing about today are:

One of my hubby's best friends from high school is in town and he's going to go out with him and enjoy a Cub's game. That makes me incredibly blissful for hubby.
Our lilac tree is starting to bloom. Pretty soon it should be smelling wonderful.
It's baseball season and the kids across the street are starting to play ball. It's a lot of fun to watch them and remember when my kids were that age.
Luke and I have been taking walks lately and he's getting much better about walking on a leash.

Hubby has been smoke free for almost 6 weeks. I'm amazingly happy that he's stuck to it and very proud of him.
Last year's property taxes are FINALLY paid off. Now we just need to start working on this year's.
We're taking concrete action and seeking help to work out our problems versus staying mired in the problem.

Bliss really is all around us, sometimes it just takes a reminder that we need to practice bliss and not just expect it to randomly show up in our lives.

Grown Up Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 05:09:00 PDT

Last Wednesday night, I left my daughter at the Nashville Airport and headed on to Ripley, TN. Leaving her there was one of the hardest things I'd ever done. At 17 she's smart and mature and can handle herself in most situations, but the thought of leaving her alone in the airport was really difficult for me to handle.

We arrived at the airport about 90 minutes before her flight and we got her checked in and then she wanted to head right to the gate to get settled, but I convinced her to have a Starbucks with my coworker who was going to Ripley and I. I know Cat got exasperated with me for not wanting to just leave her, but my parental concerns overruled her exasperation. We sat and enjoyed our drinks and then it was about an hour before the flight and I had to send her through security so she could make it to her gate on time. I gave her one last hug and put her in the security line. We stood and watched until she'd cleared security and was sitting on the bench putting her shoes on. She looked so young sitting there all alone, yet I knew there was no way I could go to her without getting arrested.

An internal debate raged about whether I should just leave her at the airport because I did have another 3 hours to drive or if I should sit and wait until she was on the plane. The cautious me one and Natasha and I headed out to the lounge to sit and wait. Cat texted me when she'd reached the gate and I breathed one sigh of relief. When the time for boarding had passed, I checked with the gate agent and was told they hadn't started boarding yet, but that the plane had arrived. We headed back to the lounge to wait some more. I checked again 20 minutes later and the flight was boarding and I got confirmation that her ticket had been scanned and she was on board. I breathed a sign of relief and we left the airport and headed on to Ripley. A few minutes later, I got the text from Cat saying she was on board. Although I could breathe a little easier, it wasn't until I got the phone call from her dad two hours later saying he had her that I was able to completely relax.

Reading this it sounds as if I'm like a helicopter parent who can't trust her 17 year old to do anything and I want to assure you that is not the case. If I would have been leaving her at the O'Hare airport close to home I would have felt pretty comfortable leaving her once she told me she'd negotiated the airport and was at the gate, but the thought of leaving a 17 year old at an airport in a strange town when I was driving on, was a little scary. If I'd have left her and kept driving and her flight was cancelled, she'd have been stranded at the airport until the next morning. That wasn't a risk I was willing to take.

However, there are a lot of risks I am willing to take for the sake of helping my children learn to be independent and responsible adults. They've both been picking out their own clothes since they were about 10 and although I don't always agree with their clothing choices, they are their's to make. There have been times that I've rolled my eyes at their choices, but I supported their right to make them. We supported their right to choose their own college (within financial reason). We've always believed that raising children is about teaching them to make good decisions because they won't always be living under our roof.

I got a very rude awakening as to how potentially radical our method of parenting was when I was standing in Target picking out socks and the mother of a teenage girl (15 or 16) was telling her what type of underwear to buy. The girl really wanted to purchase the cool bikinis, but her mother was insisting on the big white granny underwear. They went back and forth a couple of times and I really wanted to say, "Hello it is underwear! They're about the same price and what is the big deal if she wants to wear the female equivalent of "boxers or briefs? She's almost grown, let her decide what type of underwear to wear, because if she can't make that choice how can you expect her to make the big choices in life?"

Parents who have made every decision in a child's life are thunderstruck when their kids grow up and can't make decisions about money, drugs, or any of the other important things in life. How would they have a clue how to make good decisions when they've never been put in a position to make them? As the song says, "teach your children well" and that isn't just about teaching them their ABC's, it's about teaching them to live in the real world.

Watching your children grow up is incredibly difficult, but watching them make good choices and be responsible is an incredibly blissful feeling.

Winding Roads of Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 04:22:00 PDT

I checked out of my beloved Doubletree this morning around 10 am for the five hour drive to Newberry, SC. I'd checked Google maps before I went and they directed me to head northeast towards Asheville and then drop south. According to Google, it was going to take about five hours. I knew that everyone usually went the southerly route through Atlanta, but I figured surely the good folks at Google knew what they were doing and the routes did look about the same distance.

I soon found out that when you're driving through the mountains, time and distance have very little to do with things. I'd been on the road about 45 minutes when I came to a sign that told me I had to detour due to a rockslide. At home in the burbs, most detours only take you a few miles out of the way and don't add a whole lot of time to the journey. I soon found out that in the mountains a detour can take you hundreds of miles out of the way and that's if you're able to follow the detour signs.

Somewhere along the way I missed a detour sign and I ended up on a winding road through the mountains. The scenery was beautiful and I stopped multiple times to take photos of the beautiful scenery and the concentration required to keep the car on the road through the mountains took my mind off work, home, and anything else that was bothering me. Driving through the mountains brings a zen like state of bliss as you fall into the rhythm of curves and hills. Unlike driving on the highway where it is easy to become complacent and blank out during a drive, driving in the mountains requires you bring your full self to the wheel for one wrong move could send you plummeting down a mountain pass.

As I drove through the Blue Ridge mountains, I was in awe of the natural beauty that surrounded me. The rain tinged the mountains with a cloak of silver clouds and the mountain streams ran clear and cold. As I drove through one valley, I saw dozens of white water rafters laughing and screaming their way down the stream. I smiled as I thought about how much Cat would enjoy riding down a river of bliss.

Driving through the mountains brought a rhythm to the day as I stopped a few times to take photos or just walk down the streets of a small town. At one stop, I found a couple of stagecoaches sitting by the side of the road seeming as if they were waiting for their next load of passengers. Another stop netted me some beautifully scented candles from Mountain Candle Works.

The day wasn't all bliss as a few times during the day, I got lost and couldn't get a GPS signal and got a little freaked out about being lost in the mountains. However, those few times I pulled over and did the old fashioned thing of asking for directions. I was always fortunate to find some nice folks who pointed me in the right direction. There is a deeply empowering sense of bliss about being all on your own in a strange place and having to rely on yourself to get you where you want to go.

My five hour drive ended up taking over eight, but when I fell into my hotel room that night it was with with a deep sense of bliss over the natural beauty I'd seen, the skill it had taken to drive through the mountains, and the time I'd had to think about my life.

Musical Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:40:00 PDT

Nashville is known as the music city and it's the place where hundreds of country stars from Patsy Cline, to Dolly Parton, to Gretchen Wilson got their start. At ground zero of Nashville is the Ryman Auditorium where the Grand Olde Opry is held. I took Cat back to the airport in Nashville tonight and we had a little bit of extra time to spend exploring the city so we paid $10 to park by the Ryman auditorium for an hour and explore the city (PS: If we would have had more time, I would have driven around and found cheaper parking).

Walking up the street we found ourselves by the stage door of the Ryman Theater. These doors were made famous by Gretchen Wilson in her video when she tries the doors and the open. She sings "When I think About Cheating" with the legends of the Grand Old Opry "accompanying" her through the magick of videography. As we walked by those famous doors, I had Cat try them so I could get her picture. Unfortunately, my Blackberry died soon after and I've lost the pictures.

We turned down Broadway and were instantly surrounded by the blissful sounds of music drifting out from the bars lining the street. Blues, Country, and Old Time Rock and Roll created a mashup that should have been disconcerting, but seemed oh so right. Several street musicians were playing live music and I can imagine they had come to Nashville looking for their big break. We stopped to talk to one young man who was playing his guitar while his dog, a blue heeler, looked on. She was an adorable dog who was so well behaved that she let strangers come up and pet her. Her human told us that the only time she would bark or bite was if someone tried to rob him.

The weather was perfect for our stroll down music lane and as we walked toward the river, we saw life size statues of Elvis outside souvenir stores selling every every type of trinket known to man emblazoned with photos of stars. It's funny, but I'd never really thought of Nashville as Elvis country, but a little bit of research (okay, googling) revealed that he'd actually recorded several albums there. He also performed once at the Grand Old Opry, but after the performance the Opry's manager politely told him he'd be better off going back to Memphis and resuming his truck driving career. Thankfully that's advice he didn't take.

Cat, Nathasha (one of my coworkers), and I enjoyed an ice cream break before heading back to the car to take Cat to the airport. Despite the rush hour traffic, we made it back to the airport in plenty of time for Cat to check in and make it to the gate in time to board her flight home. There were tears in my eyes as I hugged my big girl goodbye and left her at the airport.

Deep in the Heart of Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:50:00 PDT

Deep in the heart of Lookout Mountain is a natural wonder that inspires awe in the most cynical of city dwellers. I was one of those cynical city dwellers who wondered how anything buried deep within a cave could be worth the $16.95 price of admission. Although I've been to Chattanooga, I'd never felt inspired to visit the falls until Cat and I were trying to figure out what we could do together on a Monday night in Chattanooga. We ruled out the ordinary and boring stuff that we could do at home like shopping or a movie and since there wasn't much left that was open after 5 pm, we decided on Ruby Falls.

We headed up Lookout Mountain after work and reached the entrance to Ruby Falls around 5 pm. The view from the mountain was gorgeous and we gazed down the mountain at Chattanooga and up the mountain at the castle that looks down over the scenic Tennessee River Valley. We headed into to the castle to pony up the admission fee. While we were there we reviewed the background on the cavern and learned that Ruby Falls was discovered when an excavation was going on to open up a passageway to Lookout Cavern. When they had drilled down a little over 250 feet, they felt fresh air and realized that there must be an opening in the mountain.

After crawling on his belly for 17 hours, Leo Lambert discovered the 145 foot Falls. He was awestruck by the natural beauty of the falls and decided to call them Ruby Falls in honor of his wife Ruby. The falls were opened to the public in 1930 and millions of people have visited their spectacular beauty.

I had no clue what to expect on the tour as I hadn't had time to do my usual research. Before the tour we were told that we'd be descending over 260 feet into the mountain and then walking half a mile from the elevator to the falls. We were also strongly advised to visit the bathroom prior to visiting the falls as there is no bathroom under water. Descending into the earth, I wasn't the slighted bit worried about the walk or the trip, but that changed when we exited the elevator and I found myself surrounded by mountain.

As we began our hike into the mountain, we were surrounded by beautiful and fantastic stalagtites and stalagmites that had been growing inside the mountain for thousands of years. Along the side of the trail, there were fresh water streams that carried water from the waterfall deep into the earth and down into the Tennessee river. Looking above us, we could see the cracks in the rock and our guide told us that we were inside a fault line. My heart started beating just a little faster as I thought about millions of tons of earth tumbling down on us and burying us alive deep within the mountain. However, about that time, we started hearing the soft tinkling sound of the waterfall so I took a deep breath and kept walking.

The passageways were carved out of solid rock and at times even I had to stoop to get through. We were surrounded by fantastic shapes that had been carved out of the rock by water. Someone who had traveled the passageways long before us had named some of the formations: dragon's foot, weight watcher's pass, chandelier pass. Thinking about the millions of people who had walked these passageways before me, helped me get over the panic and I kept walking.

As the sound of the waterfall grew louder, the air got cooler and I knew that we were close. Soon we walked into a magnificent cavern and the waterfall filled the air with the sounds of rushing water negative ions. There are almost no words beautiful enough to describe the site of Ruby Falls. The water cascades down from 145 feet above your head into a beautiful pool. Being in the cavern surrounded by the clean air, the rushing water, and the awe inspiring site of nature brought me a deep sense of bliss as I was reminded once again that there is more to life than my petty concerns and problems.

The walk out seemed to go faster than the walk into the cave as we were all energized by the beauty that we'd shared. The elevator let us out at the top of the castle and we were treated to a spectacular view of Chattanooga and the valley below.

Note: The You Tube video below isn't ours, but I thought you would all enjoy it.

Caves and Mountains of Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 20:13:00 PDT

We started out our trip to Chattanooga with grand plans to visit the zoo and have a picnic up on Signal Mountain. Unfortunately, those plans were met with laughter by the weather gods who decided that our one full day together in Chattanooga would be the perfect time to pour down rain. All the things that we'd thought about doing, suddenly didn't seem like so much fun when we thought about doing them in pouring rain.

We thought about and rejected several inside options such as the aquarium and the art museum before deciding that we'd just get in the car and drive up Signal Mountain to see what we could see. The spaceship didn't surprise us as it had the first time we'd come around a curve and seen it poised for flight, but we did take the time to pull off to the side of the road and take some pictures of it so we could prove to everyone that we really had seen a spaceship.

The roads were rainy and I was a little nervous driving up the twisty mountain roads and I'm sure that I managed to tick off a few of the drivers behind me who were used to navigating the twists and turns at a lot faster speed than I was, but they showed their Southern hospitality by not obsessively tooting their horns at me. Beauty surrounded us as waterfalls created by the heavy winter rains and snows flowed off the mountains into bubbling streams below.

We drove through the towns on top of Signal Mountain and were starting our descent down the other side when Cat spotted some gaping openings in the side of the mountain that she wanted to stop and take pictures of. Turning around on a dime on a narrow mountain road just isn't possible so we had to drive a few miles past the caves and turn around and come back. We pulled off to the side of the road and were greeted by a rock that someone had spray painted "Luke" on. Although we both knew that our dog Luke was talented, neither one of us could figure out how he had managed to travel to Chattanooga and spray paint his name on a rock. :)

The openings seemed to be abandoned mines that led deep into the mountain. There were no barriers, but our own common sense to keep us from exploring the mines; however, neither one of us felt called to venture deep inside the earth when no one knew where we were. We contented ourselves by taking pictures from the entryway.

Going back up the mountain, we stopped at an overlook and gazed in wonder at the mountains shrouded in clouds. As Illinoisans, we don't often get the chance to be above the clouds so took the opportunity to drink in the natural beauty that surrounded us. Heading down the mountain, we decided to take some time to explore the Bluff View Art District and enjoy a different view of the mountains.

The Bluff View Art district is a historic district in Chattanooga that combines beautiful old houses, art, and natural beauty to create an enjoyable place to spend a few hours. We wandered in the rain looking at the sculpture garden and enjoying the views of the Tennessee River Valley. By the time we were done we were thoroughly soaked and more than willing to head back to the hotel to warm up and dry off.

Bliss Waffles

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:45:00 PDT

Cat's all time favorite restaurant is Waffle House and every time we are anywhere near one we have to stop and partake of the waffles. This trip to Chattanooga was no exception and as soon as we hit the Mason-Dixie line and started seeing those familiar yellow and black signs, she started begging for a trip to Waffle House.

We ended up going to the Waffle House in Chattanooga and it turned out to be a really good choice as we were treated to a singing waitress and a floor show during dinner. The first order of business upon arriving at Waffle House was to take the obligatory picture of Cat outside Waffle House. I think we've taken pictures of "The Cat" at every Waffle House we've visited and I think most of those pictures are posted up on her Facebook.

Once inside we were greeted with a slightly off key singing by the waitressing crew. They were finishing up their song when we came inside and our waitress said, "We're auditioning for American Idol or American Idiot, we're not sure which." She kept the one liners coming after we were seated as she greeted us by asking us "How am I?" I answered that I wasn't sure and she congratulated us for being on top of things.

Ordering was easy as Cat always gets chocolate chip waffles and I usually order a hamburger as I'm not a big waffle fan. Once we'd put in our order, we noticed that there was a ground hog outside our window. He was scurrying around and seemed to be almost posing for the camera when Cat brought it out. Our waitress told us that he was always hanging around and that they fed him raisin toast and waffles.

Cat was thrilled at the opportunity to see a ground hog up close and she spent oohed and ahed at how big the ground hog was and how cool it was that he was right outside the Waffle House and so close to a major highway. She wasn't the only one who thought it was pretty cool that a ground hog lived by Waffle House as several other patrons were watching the show put on by the ground hog.

Our food came all too soon and we gobbled down the good home cooking of Waffle House and remembered all the reasons that Waffle House rules: the waitresses are always super friendly, the food is great, the food is super cheap, and Waffle Houses are just plan fun to eat in.

Next time you happen to be in Chattanooga, stop by the Waffle House on Signal Mountain Road and look for the ground hog. I'm sure he'd be happy to entertain you, especially if you bring him some raisin toast.

Bliss of the Drive

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:12:00 PDT

Road trips are my favorite time to connect with my loved ones as we're in a little blissful bubble locked away from the real world. There aren't a lot of places you can escape to when you're trapped in a car with someone for hours on end. And although headphones and computers do allow you to escape into your own little world while someone else is driving, those escapes aren't possible when you're the one at the wheel.

I picked up Cat up in Bloomington, IL where she'd spent the last few days with her fellow debaters discussing the merits of a variety of topics at the Illinois High School Association's State Debate tournament. We were incredibly proud of her as she'd made her personal goal of reaching semifinals. I arrived a little before she was ready to be picked up so I wandered around the campus of Illinois Weselyn for a few minutes and I was a little freaked out that all the building doors were open and with no badge or anything I was able to wander around. There was also the matter of the giant head severed head above the theater. It's lying on its side looking out at the campus and I have to tell you it freaked me out a little bit.

Cat soon came to find me and I was incredibly impressed at how well dressed and professional she looked. She was wearing the trench coat she'd picked up at Goodwill and she looked amazingly mature. She gathered her bags, packed them in the car, and it was time to head out. As soon as we were free of traffic, I turned the wheel over to her and let her chauffeur me. She's getting to be a really good and safe driver and I was impressed at how she handled herself in traffic. It was a little frustrating to see her driving safely only to be cut off by idiots who wanted to zig in and out of traffic, but although she got a little bit frustrated she stayed calm and just backed off to let them pass.

We stopped for dinner at a Huddle House, a first time for both of us, and she enjoyed biscuits and meatless gravy and I had a burger. Although Cat was impressed by her first meal at Huddle House, she swears that it won't replace Waffle House in her heart.

She piloted us through Illinois, into Kentucky, and finally into Tennessee. Along the way we talked about life, about school, about her hopes for the future, about her coworkers and a host of other subjects. We pushed on through to within 45 minutes of Chattanooga before deciding that it was time to find a motel and fall asleep. Roadsides signs led us to the Regency Motel, a clean little motel right off the interstate. We left most of our bags in the car and headed in to enjoy a few hours of sleep.

When we got back on the road in the morning, we decided we were really glad we'd chosen to turn in for the night as the scenery between Monteagle and Chattanooga was breathtaking. The mountains were green and wondrous and it was a beautiful drive. When we arrived in Chattanooga, we checked into the DoubleTree and headed out to explore the town and to spend a few blissful days connecting.

DoubleTree Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:10:00 PDT

I've been traveling a lot the last couple of months and it seems as if I've stayed in about every hotel in downtown Chattanooga. Most of them are very nice hotels in the three to four star range and they offer very similar amenities, but after lots of trial and error, I've decided that the Doubletree is the hotel for me.

The rooms are very sumptuous and comfortable with huge king beds, cozy chairs to lounge in, plenty of natural light, beautiful views, and the people are the friendliest I've ever met at a hotel. Everyone knew my name after my very first stay and they always act happy to see me and greet me by name when I check in. Johnny, the valet, is incredibly friendly and always takes great care of my car. When I didn't see him for a week, I asked where he was and his coworkers told me that he was playing Captain Hook in a production of Peter Pan at the Tivoli. Unfortunately, the day I asked was the last night of the play so I wasn't able to attend. However, when I got back to Chattanooga the next week I asked him about it and he was surprised and happy that I'd taken the time to ask and he showed me pictures of the production and told me about his upcoming move to New York to pursue his acting career.

Walking into the Doubletree is like walking into an upscale hotel with a staircase leading to the bar on the second floor and the Caribbean blue waters of the pool visible through the windows, but the people are nothing like you'd find in an upscale hotel in the city. They're always incredibly warm and welcoming and seem genuinely glad to see everyone who walks through the doors.

It's not only the folks at the front desk that are warm and welcoming, it's everyone that works at the hotel. About 30 minutes after you order room service, you'll get a call from the kitchen asking if everything was okay. I'd ordered room service one night while my daughter was visiting and I ran into our server in the elevator the next day and she asked me if my daughter was still visiting. I couldn't believe that she remembered.

I have a very attentive and creative maid in the room that I'm staying in this week. The maids on all the floors put gold stickers on the hand towels on the counters, but my maid this week took the time to fashion an elephant out of the hand towels with arms and legs and stickers for eyes. I smile every time I walk into the bathroom and I haven't had the heart to distmantle the elephants so I use the towels off the rack instead of my very special little elephant.

Although those famous Doubletree cookies may have been an initial draw to stay at the Doubletree, it's the warm and friendly people who keep me coming back.

Rivers of Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:11:00 PDT

Some people find the ocean surf relaxing, others love to float on placid lakes, but I've always been a river person. There's something about watching the gentle current of a river pass by that has always soothed my soul. Rivers are vibrant and alive and they're always moving and always different.

Growing up we lived by the Fox river and I loved walking by the river and see it's always changing shape and temperament. Some days it was flowing placidly and other days, especially in the spring, it was swollen and violent as it strained against the constraints of its banks. The Fox flowed through St. Charles and sometimes we would go and walk downtown St. Charles and watch the river tumble over the dam. There was something violent and sinister about the dam as if the man made structure did not belong in the river.

Although the Fox might have been the first river in my life, it wasn't ever my first watery love. That title has always belonged to the Mighty Mississippi. Growing up we spent a lot of time in St. Louis and I've always thought of the Mississippi as the barrier between the tame Eastern half of the country and the wild and untamed West. I can imagine Lewis and Clark crossing the Mighty Miss and venturing into the great unknown. One of my favorite memories as a child was riding the Admiral out of St. Louis. There was something wonderful about watching the world float by from the decks of a riverboat. One of my first dates with my now husband was riding another riverboat out of Hannibal, MO. I still remember how special and loved I felt when he kissed me on the gently moving riverboat.

Even when I'm far away from home, rivers have a way of grounding me and making me realize there is more to life than my petty problems. I struggled with finding my balance in Germany and it was the Weser River that brought me back to balance. While the rest of the team explored the city, I spent a relaxing hour walking along the river and reminding myself that everything that seemed so earthshatteringly important now really wasn't and I just needed to go with the flow and let my problems go.

Lately the river I'm spending the most time with is the Tennessee river as it meanders through downtown Chattanooga and is about four blocks from the hotel I normally stay at. Like a lot of river fronts, Chattanooga's was neglected and abandoned for the longest time. However, a concentrated effort has been made to breathe new life into the riverfront and now the shores of the Tennessee river in Chattanooga are vibrant and alive with walkways, a new aquarium, and docks that let you look up and down the beautiful river. High above the bluffs is a the Bluff View Art District and from there you can look down on the river as it passes through the Tennessee River Valley.

I spent some time walking long the river today and, as usual, the river worked its magick on me as I felt my soul being soothed as I watched the gentle current carry boats down the river. As I sat and watched the river flow by, I felt as if it was carrying all my cares along with it and when I turned to walk back to my hotel, I felt physically lighter and ready to once again face the worries of the world.

Birthday Card to my Love

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:00:00 PST

His deep blue eyes that crinkled at the corners were the first things I noticed almost 22 years ago, his strong hands were the second, and his shy smile was the third. I didn't fall in love with him the first or even the second time we met, but I started realizing this was someone I could care deeply about when we saw each other after a week or so apart and he asked me how the Roman history test I'd been worried about had gone. I realized this was someone who really and truly listened and cared.

A few weeks later we went to a retreat with a bunch of friends and we only had eyes for each other. He took me out to a meadow and we lay on a blanket looking up at the stars and talking. We talked about our pasts, the future, and all the things that were right and wrong with the world. I felt myself sliding down a slippery slope toward that thing called love. I knew for sure I was in the deep end when I kidnapped him and took him to the zoo and realized that he was having as much fun as I was. Zoos have always been special places for me because my daddy took took me to the zoo several times a year and I could never imagine myself with someone who didn't love animals. I remember the exact moment that I fell in love: we were standing by the aviary at the St. Louis zoo and he put his arms around me and pulled me close. I felt so safe and protected that I didn't every want to leave his arms.

Music has always been a big part of John's world, but never something I really cared about until I met him and he introduced me to what heartfelt music was really like. I'll never forget the first time he popped a cassette tape into the stereo and played Sheriff's "When I'm With You" for me. I'd always thought that having a song was kind of hokey, but once he played that for me, I realized that hokey or not, it meant something.

We were married just a little over six months after we met and so many people told us that it wouldn't last, but we knew that it would. We knew that what we felt was real and that we would stand the test of time. I knew for sure it was going to last when he looked into my eyes and sang "Color My World." How could I resist someone looking at me with love in his eyes and singing:

As time goes on I realize

Just what you mean to me

And now, now that you're near

Promise your love

That I've waited to share

And dreams of our moments together

Color my world with hope of loving you

Eleven months after we were married, we welcomed Sean into the world and we made that transition from couple to family. John was always more ready to have kids than I was and I fell in love with him all over again when he'd smile the daddy smile at the thought of his son. My most treasured photo of my husband is one of him holding Sean in the hospital after he was born. The look of love and wonder in his eyes always makes me smile.

Although John was a little nervous about the prospect of being daddy to a little girl, he joyously welcomed Caitlin into the world two years later and he tackled the almost impossible task of being a stay at home dad to two small children on a military base. At the time, I had absolutely no clue what I had asked him to do or the depth of his sacrifice, but looking back I realize how incredibly hard it had to be for him to be a stay at home dad on the testosterone riddled space called Kadena Air Base.

We were more than ready to come home after three years overseas and John continued to be a very hands on dad. He made Cat's first birthday cake and did an incredible job creating a beautiful pink rabbit for her to enjoy. When she was five, he spent hours making a Blues Clues came for her to play with her friends. He was the one that took Sean to his first day of school and cheered Seano on at his T-ball games. He's been there for the kids through diapers and diplomas and he's shown them by example how to be a good person and a good dad.

Our lives together haven't been perfect and like any couple that's been together over twenty years, we've had our ups and downs. However, I know that deep down John is my best friend and my moving buddy. We've moved ourselves over 12 times and every time we've moved, he's been by my side to lift and tote and make sure everything got where it was supposed to go.

John was my rock when my daddy was sick and died two years ago and I fell even more deeply in love with him when he thought everyone had gone and he stood in front of my daddy's urn and thanked him for welcoming him into his family. I didn't realize until that very moment exactly how much it had meant to John that my dad welcomed him with loving arms into our family and it made me realize exactly how much my husband, who was adopted as a child, had envied my family. It also made me a little ashamed as I realized I'd always taken for granted the thing he wanted more than anything: unconditional love.

I almost lost my best friend three months ago when he had a heart attack and had to have emergency surgery. His voice mail rocked me to my very core as I heard the love and fear in his voice. I'm so fortunate that we've been given a second chance.

There are only two things left to say in this Birthday Card to my husband:

You'd better be around for the next 22 years

I love you enough to insert a You Tube video rather than ruin your hearing with my rendition of our song.

Happy Birthday Honey!!!

Old Friends

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:32:00 PST

Five years of my life were spent deep in the trenches of my former employer. I left a little over two years ago to pursue more money and a better opportunity, but what I didn't realize is that I left behind people I really cared about and who had become my family.

One of my best friends at my old company did a purchasing demo for my new boss and coworkers and rather than have him just do a webcast for us, I took the opportunity to drive the twenty minutes or so to their new offices and do the meeting in person with him. As I was waiting by the elevator, my old boss came up and greeted me and was genuinely happy to see me. I hadn't realized exactly how much I missed working for him until that minute. He was always able to push me and get the best out of me in a way that few people are able to. I've been known to be high maintenance at times, but he kept setting the bar higher and higher and higher and before I realized it I was performing at a higher level than I ever thought I could.

We had a few minutes to kill before the demo, so I spent the time walking around and greeting my old coworkers. Without exception they were thrilled to see me and greeted me with hugs. The feeling was mutual as I greeted the folks I'd spent five years in the trenches with hugs and happiness. We spent a few minutes catching up and then it was on to the meeting. I was thrilled to see so many of them were still working at my old company and that despite the difficulties of the previous year, they all looked happy and I was happy for them.

It's always interesting to have folks from former and current jobs meet each other and today was no exception. My buddy B had to tell obligatory jokes about my messy desk so my new boss felt inclined to tease me about my history of destroying laptops (i.e. spilling nail polish and other things on them), but I knew it was all in good fun and that if they really didn't like me they wouldn't have teased me (at least that's what I told myself). Overall the meeting went well and it was a pretty productive sharing of ideas.

The afternoon ended with more visits to old friends and more hugs and I left the building wondering whatever possessed me to leave when I worked with such awesome people. And then I remembered I'd left to have a more project based job and even though I really missed the people, I know deep down that I made the right choice for me. And, I have all their numbers so we can always do lunch.

Problematic Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:09:00 PST

My daughter's upstairs in her room and my son is safely ensconced in his dorm room downtown. These facts give me a small measure of bliss for at least for the next few hours I know that they're safe from the dangers and pressures of the world around them.

Like most parents, there are days when I read the paper and wish that I could wrap my children in cotton wool and protect them from everything painful and dangerous in the world, but I can't do that anymore than my parents could do that for me. I was never fearful for my children when they were younger, because they were always being watched over: they were at home, they were at school, they were at my mother's. Now it's a different story because in order for them to succeed, I have to let them go out into the world without me and all I can do is hope and pray they'll be safe.

I've never been worried about my children being harmed because of their own stupidity because we've raised them to be safe, to not take drugs, to not drive when drunk, to call us if they need a ride, and to be aware of their surroundings. I know for a fact they live by these rules because Cat has called us when she's needed rides and they've both known people who've gotten into trouble with drugs and they've both sworn they wouldn't do anything that stupid. We're not perfect parents, but we do spend time with our kids and enjoy hanging out with them and those things matter.

It's the stupidity and cruelty of other people's children that scares me. When Sean was 16, he wanted to get a job at a restaurant about 20 minutes from home and we wouldn't let him because he would have had to work till 11 and then come home at an hour when there might be drunks on the road. We explained that we weren't worried about his judgement, but about the idiots out there who might be drinking and driving. He was angry at us for a while, but he really did understand. We spent a lot of time last year lecturing him about not riding the CTA at night when he was going back and forth to visit a girlfriend in the 'burbs. He pooh poohed our concerns until he got mugged on the platform at 5:30 at night. We were extremely grateful that all this lesson cost him was an iPod and a cell phone. Now he rarely takes the CTA from the platform by his school and he always pays attention when he does.

Chelsea King's death really upset me because when I look at her photos, I see a girl a lot like Cat: beautiful, energetic, smart, and well liked. And some maniac took that beautiful girl away from her parents in a place she should have been safe. I can imagine her parents had the same conversations with her that we have with our kids about being aware of your surroundings, dialing 911, etc., etc. Unfortunately, all those lessons don't stand up to a maniac determined to do harm.

Realistically, I know I can't protect my children from all the nastiness that exists in the world, all I can do is raise them well, make sure they know they're loved, prepare them the best way I know how for the world at large, pray to the heavens to keep them safe, and accept that that's all I can do.

Fuzzy Pink Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 21:08:00 PST

Cat got me a fuzzy pink robe for Christmas and it is a gift I treasure for every time I put it on I feel as if I'm wrapped in her love. Pink isn't normally my color, but the bright and vibrant pink of my fuzzy robe never fails to make me smile as it reminds me that life is good and that someone loves me.

Interestingly enough, pink is the favorite color of one of my best friends so in addition to feeling wrapped in my daughter's love, my fuzzy pink robe also makes me think of my friend Alison and how much joy and friendship she has brought into my life.

One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday night before the long and arduous work week starts is to throw my pajamas and robe into the dryer, take a long hot shower, and then douse myself in moisturizer. Putting on warm clothes over the moisturizer makes it soak deep into my skin so that when I wake up I feel soft and silky all over. The ritual is made more special by the loving warmth of my fluffy pink robe.

It's only recently that I have begun embracing pink as a symbol of the strength and endurance that the so-called weaker sex brings to the world. Despite hundred of years of being dominated, being stuck in the kitchen, and being treated like second class citizens, women have persevered and the world is starting to embrace the kind and collaborative talents that women bring to the world and to the workplace.

I was a daddy's girl growing up who didn't have any strong, working role models and even though my daddy loved and encouraged me, he was still somewhat of a chauvinist. I can remember early in my career my dad scolding me for wanting a woman to get a high paying job because if she did she'd be taking it away from a guy who needed the job to feed his family. My dad was still of the era that thought a woman's true place was in the kitchen while a man went out and worked to feed his family.

In the days since my childhood, I've learned that no one should be pigeonholed by their sex and that women can be strong and capable leaders and that men can be soft and compassionate parents. Individuals should be judged for their own talents and traits and not what society deems them capable of.

Sitting in my pink and fluffy robe, I think of all the strong, capable, compassionate, nurturing, and amazing women that have gone before me and that I am blessed to call friends and a blissful smile crosses my lips.

Being Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:49:00 PST

All too often we get caught up in being human thinkings or human doings instead of being human beings. I didn't realize until recently that being is a unique state into itself. Being is being present in the moment. Being is enjoying the company your with instead of thinking about what you're going to do next week, what you're going wear to work tomorrow, where you're going to go on vacation, or even what you're going to write about in your blog.

Being seems to come upon us when we least expect it, when we're so solidly in the moment that our bodies seem at one with the world around us. Thought seems suspended as we are uniquely one with our bodies. Since I've been practicing bliss, those moments of being have come to me a lot more frequently or maybe it's just that I've been more aware of them.

John and I spent Friday night in a hotel and before he arrived, I drew him a bath and lit a beautifully scented candle so that he could wash away the cares of the work day and slip into weekend mode. The very act of lighting a candle and preparing for bliss, helped me slip into a state of being rather than doing and instead of going back to a mental tally of everything I had planned for the evening, I was able to go with the flow and just enjoy life as it unfolded.

We enjoyed a relaxing dinner at Carson's Ribs and then headed out to the Blue Frog, a funky little bar and grill in Chicago's River North neighborhood to sing Karoke and enjoy a few drinks. The Blue Frog is what could nicely be classed a dive bar, but the people were nice and not scary and the decor was interesting. I decided to take the plunge and actually sing Karaoke for the very first time. I picked Gretchen Wilson's Redneck Woman and I had hopes of belting it out famously and getting those wonderful "Hell Yea's" from all the redneck girls in the place, but sadly that was not to be as the Karoke machine messed up and I ended up off key and out of sync, but no one seemed to care and they cheered for me nonetheless.

After Karaoke, we headed back to our hotel to warm up and decide whether or not we wanted to head back out. We decided we did so we dumped the bags, I grabbed my jacket and we headed downstairs. John need a cigarette, so we chilled under the portico entrance to our hotel and danced the the jazz playing. As we talked, we realized that other people might be driving by and "looking at the crazy fools dancing under the portico." We decided we'd reached a point in our lives where we didn't care if people thought we were weird. Their opinions just didn't matter anymore and that in itself was a pretty blissful feeling.

Saturday morning, we spent a lazy morning in bed watching TV and cuddling before it was time to head off to meet the kids for a lunch at the Rosebud and a trip to the planetarium. I enjoyed the spaghetti and meatball (yes, it really is just one meatball) and then we grabbed a cab to the planetarium. It was a spectacular spring day in Chicago with just a touch of warmth in the air. We'd signed up for membership in the Adler so we got to enjoy all the shows and the exhibits. Sinking into the comfortable chairs in the auditorium, I felt all my bliss melt away as the room was the perfect temperature and their was soft music playing. Once the show started, I was nearly a goner as I felt my bones melt away as I slipped into a perfect state of being. I felt as if I was one with the universe.

The awesome state of being lasted all the way back home and one of my challenges will be to figure out how to maintain that state of being in the ordinary world.

City of Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:13:00 PST

Growing up I used to think that Chicago was just a city of big blocked buildings with no artistry whatsoever. Maturity and more time spent downtown has taught me that beauty and bliss exist throughout the city, if we only take the time to look.

I've made several sojourns downtown recently and it seems as everyplace I look there is amazing art and artistry in the most unexpected places. We've made several trips to Rosehill Cemetery over the last year or so to look at the amazing funerary art and wonder at the stained glass windows in the mausoleum. Once you get past the creepy and oppressive feeling of being surrounded by tons of granite and monuments to the dead, the mausoleum is an amazing place that is full of beauty. The lower level has individual rooms that each have a beautiful and personalized stained glass window. When you walk through in the afternoon when the sunlight is streaming through the windows, the corridor is full of rainbow light that brings peace and happiness to your soul. The John G. Shedd (yes the aquarium guy) has a chapel on the first floor with blue lights that when the sun is shining just right transform the chapel into the color of the Caribbean.

Downtown Chicago, artisans have turned even the ordinary into the artistic. One of the bridges over the Chicago River has amazing bronze medallions along the steel railing. Although at first glance, they look like five pointed stars, in reality they are flowers. At the entrance to the bridge, there is another medallion of a six leaved clover. Even the rusted steel itself provides beauty to those who look closely enough and see beautiful play of light and patterns on the structure.

Chicago is also a city full of art both big and small. Our most famous sculptures are the Picasso that stands guard over Daley plaza and the giant silver bean downtown, but other sculptures can be found throughout the city. I was walking back from Ogilive station to our hotel tonight and I detoured so that I could walk by the Brittanica building and I found an amazing sculpture that looks like a boy walking along the top of an inverted V.

Chicago also hosted the "American Gothic" sculpture downtown and it was viewed by millions in its spot by the Chicago Tribune building. Although the original is housed in the Art Institute just downtown, more people visited the statue in the 18 months it was in residence than have ever gone to see the original.

That's the amazing bliss of street art, it brings unexpected beauty, humor, and bliss to our everyday lives. The art of the everyday isn't something you have to make a special excursion (and pay an entrance fee) to see, all you have to do is pay attention to the wonderfully blissful world around you.

Melting Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:00:00 PST

Spring comes to Chicago in puddles of slush, dirty white snow, and that indescribable scent in the air that signals that Springtime is coming. Looking out my front window I can see that most of the snow has melted, there are just a few patches where the sun doesn't shine full force during the day. The ground, where the grass will be a brilliant green in a month or so, is now a muddy dark pit of mud that clings to your shoes and the dog's paws.

Downtown, the warmth and wind have melted most of the snow into puddles, but a few patches cling tenaciously to life along the shadows of the skyscrapers and buildings. The brilliant white of the winter's snow has been turned a dirty gray with black flecks by the passing trucks and the footsteps of the thousands who trod the city's streets.

The city's hundreds of benches of stone, brick, and metal sit unused as pedestrians hurry past too chilly to stop and soak up the beauty of the city. While during the warmth of the summer, sitting on the benches allows tourists and residents alike to soak up the warmth of the sun, today they'd be soaking up the cold from the concrete.

Despite the still chilly winds blowing off Lake Michigan, more and more brave folks are walking along the lake and taking in the beautiful panorama that is the city of Chicago. The city feels vibrant as if it is shaking off the cold mantle of winter and preparing to embrace the beauty and softness that is spring in Chicago. The wind holds that indescribable promise of the warmth to come, but for now there is bliss in anticipating the warm weather to come.

Bars of Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:42:00 PST

Going to Hooters never appealed to me until I watched Undercover Boss and realized that maybe I'd been judging it unfairly for all these years. Like a lot of women, I based my sanctimonious attitude about Hooters on what I thought I knew about the place versus my actual experiences.

I thought Hooters would be a dark, dirty, and tawdry little place full of older men ogling young women dressed in skimpy little outfits. However, watching Coby Brooks' go undercover to see what was really going on in his business, I realized a couple of things: Hooters is more like a little beach bar than anything else and it's not only dirty old men that go to Hooters. Along with some sanctimonious and uptight broads who judged Hooters the same way that I had, the video showed families and couples heading out to Hooters to enjoy wings and burgers.

John and I were downtown the other night and after dinner we were looking for a place to watch the Blackhawks game. There was a Hooters just up the street so we decided to head in and check it out. The first thing I noticed at Hooters wasn't the girls in skimpy tank tops, but the wood paneling on all the walls and the Christmas lights strung up along the walls and the bar. There was a slight wait, so the hostess (how was wearing a polo shirt and loose shorts) said we could sit at the bar since we were only getting drinks. A cute young African American girl named Andrea served us our drinks and then we settled in so John could watch the game and I could observe the joint.

On the stainless steel above the grill, there was a wall of bumper stickers full of slogans. Some of our favorites were, "I wish I was Barbie because that B*** has everything" and the Blackhawks bumper stickers. We also noted bumper stickers for a host of cities and countries including Vancouver.

There were a couple of parties of young college guys, but overall the patrons were a mix of young and old, men and women. Some of the Hooters girls were drop dead model gorgeous wearing extremely tight shirts that showed off their assets to a considerable advantage, but others were ordinary clean cut girls wearing polos and shorts. There were all wearing sneakers that I could tell got considerable use as they never got a chance to take a break. Observing them, I realized that these young ladies had to be strong (those plates of food aren't light), hard working, and tactful. Although the patrons in there when we were there were fairly well behaved, I'm sure there are times when the clients aren't so well behaved and the girls have to politely tell them they're not interested without loosing a customer.

And unfortunately, in today's world, girls who work at Hooters aren't the only ones that have to be able to deal with drunk customers. My daughter Cat works in a bakery and every so often on Saturday and Sunday morning she gets drunks in from the bar next door that she has to politely fend off.

Expanding my mind and being willing to give Hooters a chance got me outside of my shell and helped me realize that there is life outside my sheltered little world and that is an eye openingly blissful realization.

PS: The only reason there aren't pictures of Hooters girls in this entry are that the ones I took turned out pretty bad.

Bliss of the Grid

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:51:00 PST

I normally don't get window seats on airplanes because it is too much of a hassle to have to continually ask someone to move when I have to go to the bathroom. However, this trip I was lucky enough to sit in seat 1A on a Regional Jet which is both a window and an aisle seat. There were only six passengers on a plane built to hold almost 40 so it was a nice and relaxed atmosphere in which to fly home.

As we took off from Chattanooga, I looked down at the beautiful rolling hills and river spreading before me and thought about how serene and peaceful things were from up above. All the problems and roadblocks that seem so insurmountable from on the ground don't seem to matter while you're up in the air. Once we were sky born, I looked down and it was as if a sea of white foam was holding our aircraft aloft. Despite knowing scientifically that the white foam was really just condensed water, I was enchanted by its beauty.

The flight was quiet and uneventful and as we approached Chicago, I looked out the window and saw the majesty of the sun setting over a beautiful sky blue pink landscape. The clouds formed a bed into which the sun was slowly sinking. The glistening gold of the sun was picked up and reflected a million times over by the glistening white clouds.

As we descended through the clouds it was as if we were swaddled by white cotton and when we emerged on the other side, we were greeted by a glistening grid of lights spreading out as far as the eye could see. It was as if a net of diamonds had been spread below us to welcome us home. Our landing was smooth as silk and once on the tarmac, I looked out in wonder at the sizes and shapes of all the planes around us.

Although I fly at least once a month, there is still something magically blissful about being at the airport and wondering where all the planes have come from and where they're going. It helps me remember that there is a huge world out there to explore.

Bliss of Self Expression

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:42:00 PST

Art, artistry, and self expression are not only the purview of the rich and famous, if you exam the world around you closely enough, you'll find examples of art, artistry, and blissful self expression all around you. Self expression can erupt like a volcano or can flow like water and be barely visible, unless you know where to look.

Self expression, art, and artistry all flow outrageously from figure skating sensation Johnny Wier. His costumes run the gamut from tastefully sensational to totally outrageous and he looks phenomenal wearing them all. The costume that drew the most comments, especially from straight males, was the pink corset outfit that he wore for the men's short program. It was decidedly feminine and not something most men would have the cojones to wear in public. However, Johnny wore it and he wore it well as he's comfortable with who he is.

Other folks would never dream of skating in front of millions wearing a controversial costume, I express my individuality with purple nail polish instead of the more traditional red or pink. A former coworker used to wear the most outrageous ties that truly expressed who he was and the mood he was in. He had ties with rainbows, ducks, deer, and a host of other non-standard images. Although I wasn't pleased with her outfit the other day, Cat chose to express who she was by wearing purple shorts, a blue shirt, and fishnet stockings to school. Other days she wears her pajamas because she's not feeling the need to dress up to impress anyone.

Every winter, a local artist, Fran Volz sculpts amazing snow sculptures in front of house for everyone to see. This year he had atlas holding up the world, a pair of hearts and a shark. It seemed as if every time I drove by his house there was a new ice sculpture and I loved seeing the incredible sculptures appear seemingly overnight.

Next time you're out on the street, observe your fellow pedestrians to see if you can catch the subtly creative self expression that permeates our world, if only we know where to look for it. It's there in the big red sunglasses, in the brightly colored gloves, in the green galoshes, in the smiles, in the haircuts, in any way that human beings declare: I am an individual.

Flowers de' Bliss

lenos66@gmail.com (LEnos66) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:38:00 PST

Walking out the door, I groaned at the six inches of snow that covered the ground and the three fresh inches that were currently encasing the car in snow. My cab was waiting and I didn't have time to scape the car for hubby who'd be coming out in about an hour and would have to scrape the accumulation off the windshield before he left for work.

As much as I love the snow capped beauty of Chicago and the icy lace that fills the trees, there were days (lots of them) where I wished all the snow would just melt and leave us with beautiful greenery all day long. Driving to the airport through the slush and the snow, my mood was about as dark as the sky around me and it got even worse when I checked in and found a line stretching all the way through the terminal for security. Priority Access brought me quicker entree to the terminal where I waited and waited some more while the plane was being serviced.

The trip to Chattanooga, as usual, was quick and after getting my rental car and exiting the airport, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time: warm air. The sun was shining bright and there were glimpses of green in the trees. Spring really did exist, it wasn't just some myth that we'd dreamed up to help get us through the cold dark days of winter.

The sunlight drew the dark mood out of me and I smiled as I climbed into the car and headed off to work. My smile got even bigger when I pulled up in front of the plant and saw pansies blooming. Those small flowers brightened my day like no expensive roses ever could as they were proof that spring did exist and that warmer days were ahead. The carp swimming in the Japanese pond proved further proof of warmth and I felt myself feeling that delightful feeling of bliss that anticipates the warmth and wonder of the world coming alive after the cold dark days of winter.