First Days
Boston to Chicago to Libertyville, IL
Thinking Green(ish)
I hadn’t flown anywhere in almost 6 months, I try to walk many places and take the T as often as possible. I dutifully compost and turn off lights and use the air conditioner so infrequently I have to refer to the manual to figure on how to turn it on. So, I like to feel that my carbon footprint is, if not small, at least moderate compared to many others’. Arriving at Logan and seeing the hundreds of planes parked on the tarmac and idling on the runways made me realize my perceived ‘contribution’ to reducing global warming is ridiculous.
While we were waiting in the Chicago suburb of Bensonville to pick up our rental car we struck up a conversation with a older couple who could have been blue collar workers or farmers from Harrisburg, PA. They had won a weekend extravaganza at the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series in Joliet. This included riding in the pace car. I am pretty enamored of fast cars and speedways and wondered if we could detour to Joliet to take in a few laps. (We couldn’t.) I remembered that Harrisburg is in coal mining country and asked how the local economy was doing. The husband said it was booming thanks to the fact that coal is the primary source of energy there. My initial reaction was that no matter how many lights I remembered to turn off or how low we kept the thermostat, or how infrequently I flew, my humble attempts to offset what Harrisburg was spewing into the atmosphere were beyond pathetic. But then I remembered that my goal was just to listen, and here were some hard working people who looked like they were “ getting by” ok, even if not really prospering – because of King Coal.
The conversation also made me think of a quote of the Dalai Lama that our dear daughter (in-law) Joanna sent us a couple of days ago to give us good advice for the trip:
"When I meet someone I always try to relate to the person on the basic human level. On that level, I know that, just like me, he or she wishes to find happiness, to have fewer problems and less difficulty in their life. Whether I am speaking with one person, or whether I am giving a talk to a large group of people, I always see myself first and foremost as just another fellow human."
Lunch brought its own unique conversations. We slid onto counter stools at Johnnie’s Grill, (where 'Breakfast Shakes' did in no way refer to smoothies made of kale and protein powder) in Melrose Park, IL and got an up close and personal gander at the assortment of pies sitting right there in front of us. It was a bit of a challenge to take our friend Barney’s advice to start a conversation with, “Nice Pie,” because the plastic wrap shrouded pies didn’t look all that good.
But I gave it the old college try. “Nice pie,” I said to the waitress. “Is it homemade?” “Nope,” she replied. So I dropped the subject and ordered the soup. In through the door comes a remarkable looking gent sporting a snow white, lovingly coifed, chest length beard. He’s wearing cool dude shades. He strolls past the woman playing Keno on a machine, and takes a seat at the counter perpendicular to us. David tries to sneak a photo. The guy waves from across the room and says, “Did you get one you like?” Thus we meet Morris the Santa impersonator who is happy to pose for photos.
Day One’s take-away was that life isn’t simple, there are lots of fascinating people to meet, and there are thousands of miles yet to travel.