DEEP THOUGHTS WITH MCSL: CHASING THE GREEN FAIRYWe all, here in the USA, take great pride in the fact that we live busylives. One's successes often are measured by material possessions, andaccolades of business ventures. By what measure is happiness rated? Ishe who bides his time diligently tiding away at his labour rewardedwith happiness by a sense of accomplishment? Do the material fruits ofhis labour allow him to rejoice for all the time spent getting them?
I like having nice things as much as the next man, and some may saythat I over-extend myself to too many projects and am crazy for pilingso much on my plate. Here is the thing, I make sure that I take time to"stop and smell the roses". What does that mean? For me it means totake notice of the things in between, slow down and enjoy them.
This struck me last night after a long day at the HipsterOverkill.comhideout, Tru and I stopped by a friends restaurant for a drink. AcidJazz and Absinthe was chalked on the sidewalk's collapsable sign. Afterheading to the second floor haunt in an "up and coming" neighborhood,we were greeted by the owner and grabbed a table in the middle of theroom. The Crickets Fusion Jazz Trio playing to a room full of greenfairy chasers has been the Thursday night tradition for only a fewshort months, but has consistently been an awesome way to spend anevening. There is something extra special about live music, and evenmore so when that music is Jazz. As the flaming sugar cubes melted intoour anise spiced glasses, we closed our eyes and drifted into a placewhere all the hustle and bustle went silent. The tensions of the daydissolved into the strums from the standing bass, the syncopated tapsof the drums replaced the tapping of keyboards, and the horns turnedregular air into auditory nectar. This is my happy place.
We unfortunately had arrived after the kitchen had closed, and greenfairies can turn to goblins on an empty stomach, so we dapped the band,paid the check and hit Ben's chili bowl for and over-rated half smokesand cheese fries. A seemingly perfect end to the night.
It's so very easy to get absorbed in our daily grinds. We oftenoverlook the most important of things, and that is happiness. Take thetime out to stop and smell the roses. Turn off the t.v. and findyourself some simple pleasures. It's the single best way to rechargethe batteries, and keep us from becoming dull.