It's back to norm here in Chicago. A brand new week along with a brand new election that will be officially over today!! Yay! With all of the Cubs hoopla taking over the city, it was a nice break from hearing the election propaganda. I voted in the morning but I think I'll stay off of social media and television for the rest of the day. Tomorrow I will know who the next president will be.
This election definitely stirred up emotions for me and everyone else I know. It's brought out the worst in some people. I get anxious just thinking about since I have friends who support both sides. I wish we could find a peaceful solution on how to live amongst each other in this day and age. I am a firm believer of this country's rights of free speech. But why the hostility?
We're at a time where people are not afraid to express their opinions. They either have "no filter" or "no chill" when it comes to letting everyone know how they feel about things. At first it was refreshing to know that people could be admired for not beating around the bush. If you say what you mean, there's no miscommunication. Yet with issues being brought to light, and no suggestions to solve them, we then turned on each other.
Spreading love within our communities, our cities, our states, our country, and then so forth, will not only strengthen our love for one another, it will bring joy to everyone we encounter, including countries from beyond. I still believe we can have world peace!
At this point in my life, my goal is to bring joy to the people that matter to me: my family and friends. I pray that they in turn pay it forward, so in the end we can have a domino effect. How cool would that be? During the 2nd week in October, I met up with some friends for happy hour at Henry's and then Public House and Spin Chicago afterwards. It was nice catching up with one another, plus I like hearing if my friends are doing ok. With our busy schedules, I don't want anyone to feel lost in the shuffle. Sometimes you get so busy earning a living, you forget to live your life.
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| Henry's on Hubbard have happy hour until 8pm! |
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| Public House motto |
That same week was a significant moment for me and my family. My mom's last day of work!! I couldn't believe this day had finally come! My mom has been working in the hotel industry for over 40 years!!! I'm amazed her body endured so much especially in the hospitality department. She was pretty nervous in general about how she will live her life afterwards. When she got to work that day, she felt as though no one would notice her gone. Boy was she wrong! They held their weekly meeting with all staff members and it turned out to be a surprise retirement party! She had no idea! They even gave her a pearl bracelet and flowers. I think she felt so surreal, she didn't realize someone had recorded the whole experience on their phone. She was crying the whole time.
I came down from work to meet up with her. She had some stuff to clear out of her locker and a bag of all of her goodies. I wanted to take her out to dinner and with some hesitation, she finally agreed. We went to McCormick and Schmick's restaurant down the street from her hotel. She was in the mood for their soup, but since I ate a heavy lunch at work, I ordered the tuna tartar along with two glasses of wine so we could celebrate. It was nice having dinner with her and talking about this next stage of her life. I know she's nervous about what she will do with herself, but I feel hearing her out first will give me the opportunity to know where her thought process is. I want her to slow down for a bit so she could enjoy her life a bit more before the weather gets really cold here. As for now, I am overwhelmed with emotions knowing that she reached this milestone in her life as a healthy, strong woman!
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| Our celebratory toast to this milestone!! She did it!! |
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| Luckily her soup came with this huge salad. I want to make sure she had a full meal. She deserved it! |
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| She was completely surprised on her thoughtful gifts! I'm glad they took their time to appreciate her dedication... |
