Lazy Day Meditations

What a great lazy day. It was beautiful in Chicago - mid 80's, sunny, breezy but not windy - and was a perfect day to be by the water. Except for the trash. My god, the trash. It looked like a scene in WALL-E. Walking in the park, we passed over 20 trash cans and recycle bins along the path, yet there was trash EVERYWHERE. And what is even more amazing than the trash is the sheer number of people willing to walk past it, over it, around it WITHOUT PICKING IT UP! I had the wee one chase a plastic bag down across the grass, and as we followed her I picked up a few cups here, another bag there, empty wrappers all over. Seriously, I know most of the people partying in the park on the 4th were probably drunk or high or both, but how difficult is it to walk a few feet to throw away some trash?

I'm thinking of organizing a beach clean up when I get back from San Francisco later this month. It was bad. So bad I'm not sure I want to go back to that particular beach. Yuck.

We finished off the evening with a visit out to Oak Park and dinner at Trattoria 225, a fabulous restaurant our friends own. Relaxing with the hubster and wee one was a treat, and the drive home along Lakeshore was breathtaking. It never fails to make me shake my head in awe, and when I remind myself this is my town now, I get almost giddy with glee. Just plant me next to a body of water and some sand, and I'm set for life.

I have all kinds of thoughts running around in my head, and I'm sure soon they'll burst out. Obama's stances on some things this week have been puzzling; I miss my folks like crazy; and, of course there is the never-ending question of what to do when I grow up. But for now, as I'm enjoying dusk in the city, it's enough to savor a day that doesn't come along all that often - a day when we are together and the sun shines, my child smiles (and spells...damn, she's smart!), and my partner laughs. For today, it's enough to hold those images close and lay my head on their pillow. Tomorrow, I'll once again welcome my buddies, ambiguity and confusion. But not tonight. Tonight I'm flying solo without them. And I'm gonna enjoy it.