The Great Grass Experiment

There are admittedly aspects of this entire move that I think are sort of cool.  One huge one is my son having a backyard in which to play.  The thought of him running around an expansive blanket of green is thrilling for me.  It was one aspect of city life that bothered me--no room to play unless you're in a public park.  And, as many of you know, one cannot attend a park activity without one's Manolos.  So, again in keeping with my "bright side" crap, this is a cool thing.  But this desire to become one with nature comes with an irrational fear that he will (of course he will) forget all that he learned about living in the city.  As Chicago is such a huge part of who I am, this bothers me.  But perhaps it shouldn't.

So a few days after we arrived, we tried out the whole "backyard" thing.  First, let me say, my son refuses to wear shoes.  And I don't just mean he puts up a fight when putting them on, I mean he will stand there as though weighted to the ground if you manage to get them on his feet.  He refuses to move.  Shoes are, for all intents and purposes, evil to him.  So picture, if you will, a toddler wearing several pairs of socks, venturing out to his first brush with nature.  He was completely overwhelmed.  He clearly thought it was cool.  But, he also clearly thought (as many city folk do) that it was for viewing not for utilizing.  There is a concrete walk that runs through the middle of the yard, and he would not move off of it.  He refused.  Even if I picked him up and set him on the grass, he immediately toddled back over to the concrete.  He did touch the grass, but only to "pet" it from the safety of the walk.  I was so proud.  In just a year, my kid had become so citified, he would have made a New Yorker impressed.

We will, of course, continue to attempt to beat (metaphorically, of course) nature into the kid.  But for now, just as I hang on to the Cubs for dear life, he clings to concrete.  Maybe there's hope of retaining our identies after all....

Up and Running. I think.

Hi everyone.

This is totally the view from my back
door.  I swear.  Come visit.

First, thanks very much for your patience during this transition process.  And let me tell you--it is a transition.  We have arrived in Montana and both me and my son are reeling.  For my part, it is a strange mixture of familiarity and shocking differences.  Things have changed in the 17 years since I lived here and yet are also very much the same.  It is strange, to say the least.

We're starting to adjust and are focusing on the good things.  One such good thing is my son spending time with Grandpa.  It's awesome.  Grandpa calls each night to say how glad he is that we are here.  And he has been fantastic at giving me my space.  As I am sure will shock you, I am a bit...touchy...when it comes to making sure I am doing exactly what I want to be doing and not what someone else tells me to do.  I know--you can't imagine that this describes me.  But it's true.  Anyway, another good thing is seeing people I haven't seen in almost two decades, particularly girls that I went to high school with, and finding them to not have aged well at all.  That's awesome.  Big fan of that particular aspect of this experiment.

Anyhow, we are currently living off of plastic cups and TV on the floor.  Hopefully the movers will be here soon.  I have no idea where we will put our things as the new house is much smaller than my city dwelling.  But like everything else, we will wing it.  I'm also adjusting to going for walks and not seeing another soul.  Nor a Starbucks.  What the hell?  Am I seriously supposed to make my own coffee now?  So strange....

So folks, as I mentioned, stay tuned for new adventures in the 100% carpool lane.  Looking for a job (yikes), adjusting to the quiet (double yikes) and harrassing my friends all day via email are just a few of the highlights coming up.  Thank you all for your support and kind wordsthey are appreciated more than I can say.  Here we go!

Here we go...

Hi folks,

Well, I promised you lots of adventure and adventure is what you will get.  We're experiencing a lot of changes here at Fast Lane.  In short, after a decade-plus of fast, fun, expensive, big-city living, I am packing everything I own and my little guy and we are headed to Montana.  Yes, you heard that right--Montana.  Yes, people actually live there.  No, they don't still ride horses to school.  Well, most don't anyway.

Montana's not actually such a huge leap for me as I grew up there.  But I grew up there itching to be a part of something bigger.  Something better.  And now I am.  It's just not the same "bigger" that I had thought.  I am trading in my Chicago law firm life for a future for my son.  Whether this particular trade was voluntary is for another post--preferably one that follows legal proceedings.  My lawyer says to tell you I am kidding.  Anyway, it has been a difficult transition for me, not the least of which includes (physically at least) leaving the family that I have created here.  But on the (very big) up side my kid will get to know his Grandpa which is thrilling for him and for me, and which is only fair after Grandma got a year.  And I am looking forward to being with friends and family.

I will be able to express better my love of Chicago and all of you who are based here, another time.  For now, let's focus on the hurrah for new adventures!  At a minimum, this blog will be more interesting.  And for those of you saying "thank God," bite me.  You're the ones who are supposed to be working right now.  So stay tuned folks--nothing could be further from the fast lane than peaceful prairies.  It's going to be one hell of a ride....

P.S.  As a result of preparations, I will not be posting regularly for the next week--only if I get a chance.  Re-read the glorious posts of days past and look forward to the total craziness that is about to ensue....

Be a Nameless Angel

Looking back at my life, I am appalled at the things that stressed me out as a different and very responsibility-free younger woman.  I suppose the same may be said someday of the current crises, but, man, I hope not.  Anyway, the point is that life contains some stress, in case any of you was unclear on the topic.

But today's post is not about those things that drive us to the edge.  It is about the angels among us who pull us from that brink.  While it is often our friends (particularly my saintly clan) and family who get us through the day, I am referring to those nameless or relatively unknown folks who guide us through our own personal h-e-double-hockey-sticks.  By virtue of a kind word or a helpful gesture, these people are unsung heroes of everyday life.  For example (and let me warn you, this is a demonstration of how easy I can be), not long ago I was having a really lousy day.  My head was a million miles from my body, and I had even blown past my exit on the expressway.  Realizing that, while I like Wisconsin, I was not willing the spend the evening there, I took the first busy street I could find.  I realized then that I was starving and pulled into the true oasis for those everywhere suffering from depression--KFC.  I really had no desire to talk to anyone, but it beat cooking so I ordered a family meal and pretended to myself that my child would help eat the feast that feeds 7.  When I placed my order, an annoyingly chipper voice took it.  She cracked small jokes and I generally ignored her.  When I pulled to the window, I handed her my money without really looking up.  The woman took it and as she handed me my fried feast she said "Honey, it looks like you could use a good night.  I really hope you have one."  I looked up as she smiled at me and saw that she meant it.  The shock kicked me out of my funk for a good while.  I even forgot to snarl at the guy who dumps his garbage in our dumpsters as I pulled into my parking spot.  For a while at least, this nameless woman made life manageable.

Sure, if it will make you be
nice, go ahead and pretend
you are a VS Angel.

My point is that it took this woman nothing more than 5 seconds to make a difference in my life.  Sure, it wasn't a big difference, but as I felt as though the entire world was against me that day, having someone say that she was in my corner was a big deal to me.  And KFC woman is far from alone.  To lesser--and FAR greater--degrees, my life has recently been filled with so many nameless angels and in a time when I really needed them.  What I am really hopeful of is that they are always there, but I am just noticing them more now because I need them more.  Regardless, folks, it takes next to nothing to say a kind word, or to hold a door, or to smile at someone you have never met or vaguely know.  And doing any of these things may just be the one thing someone you don't even know needs to keep him or her on track.

So, please, strive to be someone's nameless angel.  And thank you to my many angels and to all of you who have made tiny imprints on others' hearts.

Wednesday April 6, 2011

Hi folks.  We will be taking a short break today from posting.  But tune in tomorrow for another episode of the ever-changing life of Fast Lane.  Plenty of new adventures ahead.