There Must Be a God!

I just finished reading through all my blog posts and time really goes by quickly.  I didn't know I'd written so many!  Being highly critical of myself, I was pleasantly surprised.  Most were good.  Some were eh....and some were obviously cop-outs, done at the last possible minute and when I was falling asleep.  I will give myself credit for follow-through, which isn't always on my list of strengths.

I found out that a second-hand store in Chicago was going out of business, and selling their fixtures.  I decided to go.  I finally figured out how to use the GPS on my phone, and the route it gave me was direct, but long.  I almost switched and just hit the expressway, but I decided to be patient and follow the GPS.  It was twice as long as it needed to be, but enjoyable.  There are a few streets that start here in the south suburbs that will take you all the way into the city, and Western Avenue is one of them.  Neighborhoods.  I just love neighborhoods.  I drove through some that I hadn't seen in a very long time and all in all, they looked great.  Vibrant, full of character and while there were some additions, like strip malls, they really held onto the past.  I felt like a kid.  Rides into Chicago were the entertainment of choice when I was young.  On a Friday night (probably payday--I never thought about it), my Dad would wake us up and say "Wanna go for a ride?"  These five words were the best thing I could hear.  Into the car we'd go...in our pajamas.  We never got dressed.  In my baby doll pj's, and my brother in his cowboy ensemble, we would jump out of bed (make sure you use the bathroom!) and get in the back seat.  My mom always put on a "duster" or a muumuu, leave the rollers in, and off we'd go.  My Dad loved to drive, and so do I.  Typically, we'd hit the Dan Ryan Expressway or Halsted Street and there were certain landmarks that I could count on just as I could count on my Dad to wake me up on a Friday night after coming home from work. The Magikist sign--20 foot red lips, the billboard advertising cigarettes with the smoking man (smoke actually came out of the billboard) and Don's--home of the lime shake.  Honestly, I can actually taste it.  NOTHING tasted like that shake. It's probably one of my five all-time favorite tastes.  Some things you can remember, even if you haven't had them in 30 or 40 years.  I really remember that lime shake.

My earliest late night food memories are of A&W and McDonalds.  Sitting in the back seat, having seen all the thrilling sights, lights and billboards made me hungry.  My Dad would always wait for my hint.  "Oh, look at that. The Golden Arches".  "How about a Frosty Mug?"  Always a chuckle.  Always pretending not to take the hint.  Always looking at my Mom to give him the "high" sign to go ahead and put me out of my misery.  Life was so simple, as it should be for all children.  Driving through neighborhood after neighborhood, seeing signs of the simple life, like giant blinking soft-serve cones and drive-ins that existed long before Sonic came along, made me feel really good.  I made a note to myself to take my children on this ride one day soon.

I put on my uniform today.  Yoga pants and a t-shirt.  Pretty much what I wear every day.  Forgiving.  Stretchy.  No need to change into my "eating clothes".  I have them on all day.  I can eat whenever.  But there was a point, so let me get back to it.  I had on my uniform, I put on comfy sandals, earrings (I always wear earrings), shades and lipstick.  The weather was awesome and I was happy.  I was happy, so I was smiling.  As I exited my building, a man was walking past.  People still walk in this neighborhood, not that there are that many places to go.  But if you want to get anywhere, you pretty much need to walk down 14th Street.  I said hello and proceeded to my car.  The man approached.  Uh-oh...He started shaking his head and laughing.  Say what?  Finally he said the words that took me through my day and probably made my long drive, complete with being stopped by a train, a joy.  He said:  "THERE MUST BE A GOD 'CAUSE THE DEVIL COULDN'T MAKE NUTTIN' LIKE YOU!"  Only a middle-aged man or older could come up with a line like that.  No "Hey Baby", just this revelation.  He proceeded to shake my hand and introduce himself.  WOW.  That just made my day.  God Bless him. He has no idea how many decades it's been since I got the equivalent of a wolf whistle. It was creative and hilarious.  He walked away then came back and asked me to smile again.  This guy's good.

We're having great weather here this week.  My mood is directly tied to the weather.  Always.  

This is me leaving home this morning:

This is me after being asked specifically to smile:

Oh yeah, I upped the cheese factor.  Big Time.