As appeared in the Albuquerque Journal Rio Rancho section Saturday, August 14, 2010
There is a lot of hoopla out this week about the new Julia Roberts' movie "Eat Pray Love." It is a story about a woman who embarks on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India; and, finally the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali.
I read the book by Elizabeth Gilbert and wasn't a big fan, so I doubt I will be seeing the movie. And besides, I don't have to go around the world to have this same experience. I did it all right here in Rio Rancho over the summer.
The "eat" portion of my journey just happens to be my favorite, and with my favorite people. My daughters and I celebrated the end of summer with a dinner out last Wednesday, the night before the first day of school.
Somehow our dinner conversations always turn to subjects that we wouldn't discuss in front of anyone else, let alone a waiter. We usually end up laughing so hard that people start to stare.
On the subject of music, one question I got was what did those Aerosmith lyrics really mean. I claimed ignorance and got away with it.
Another question I got was prompted by something my daughters saw on the Las Vegas strip last month. Obviously captivated by a billboard with shirtless men wearing signature white cuffs and collars, I was asked why was the all-male strip group Chippendales named after the cute and cuddly Disney chipmunk characters Chip and Dale? After getting over the shock that they knew what Chippendales was, the seriousness of the question had me in tears.
The "pray" portion came in the form of a municipality project in my own neighborhood.
I prayed all summer that the city would finish the construction on the three major roads leading to Rio Rancho High School before Aug. 12.
I don't live very far from the school, and back in June was interested to see the start of a new roundabout at the entrance to the student parking lot. I became slightly concerned when three other roads in the area were torn up at the same time, because there is no way the single lane and detours could handle school traffic.
As July rolled around, I began to wonder if the work was progressing as fast as it should, and sure enough, RRPS put calls out to all of the parents asking for patience and explaining the detours wouldn't be in place very much longer. I am still praying.
The "love" portion of my journey has to be the easiest, given the vast quantity of things that are happening right now that put a smile on my face.
I loved it last week when JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater quit his job in a most entertaining way. Having had all he could take in his 28 year career of waiting on people cramped on airplanes, he grabbed two beers and slid down the emergency slide of the airplane to freedom, aka unemployment.
Reports said he had thought about it many times before but never actually acted on it. Hasn't everyone? Of course, the higher-ups at the company didn't approve of his actions, as can be expected, but Slater gained support as fellow worker bees could relate.
Every workplace in America should have an inflatable emergency slide from a second story window for disgruntled employees who wish to take their jobs and shove it. They might want to consider installing two in neighborhood post offices.
Eat. Pray. Love. No need to go any further than your own backyard.
Quote of the Week: "Don't wanna close my eyes, don't wanna fall asleep." — "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," performed by Aerosmith.
Huard's column runs each Saturday. She welcomes your e-mails at jhuard@abqjournal.com. Visit her blog at www.jenniferhuard.blogspot.com.
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