OP_100517

opprairie.com Sound Off
the orland park prairie | October 5, 2017 | 17
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From opprairie.com as of Friday, Sept. 29
From the Editor
Find your escape
1. D135: Budget includes roughly $2 million
operating fund deficit
2. Joey’s Red Hots talks Vienna Beef’s
Rookie of the Year Award
3. Pekau decries sweetened beverage tax
before Cook County commissioners
4. Trustees stonewall mayor’s commission
appointee proposals by not making
motions
5. Spirit of America grows in third year at
OP Crossing
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The Bridge Teen Center posted the following
message Sept. 25, “A bird sitting on a tree is
never afraid of the branch breaking, because
her trust is not on the branch but on it’s own
wings. Always believe in yourself. #Motiva
tionMonday”
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“Designing coffee mugs using the
elements & principles of design! Happy
National Coffee Day! #coffeetalk
#NationalCoffeeDay”
@HeinzFACS — Mrs. Heinlen, Sandburg High
School teacher on Friday. Sept. 29
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BILL JONES
bill@opprairie.com
My wife and I
recently celebrated
our sixth anniversary,
and I decided to go
big with a surprise — or, as
much of a surprise as one
can muster when he needs
to make sure someone takes
a couple of days off work,
and two days out fears what
might go wrong if he were
to try to pack a woman’s
suitcase — because why do it
for something obvious, like 5
or 10, right?
I felt like we both had been
working hard. We needed a
break, a change of scenery.
And we needed to let go and
have some fun.
So, I booked us tickets
to New Orleans, reserved a
hotel for a few nights on the
edge of the French Quarter
and had a loose idea of some
things we wanted to see, some
places we wanted to eat and,
of course, some cocktails we
wanted to drink. (We stayed
responsible by walking or
grabbing rides everywhere we
went — no car.)
I have been to New
Orleans before, but my wife
never had. And the idea was
that this, really, was a trip
for her. It was the French-est
place I could take her still
inside the United States, and
had a place called N7 — a
French/Japanese tapas spot
that makes you feel like you
walked into a completely different
world when you walk
through its gates — in mind
for our anniversary dinner. I
knew she was going to love
it.
I only realized the night before
just how much I needed
Now Open in Frankfort, IL
the break, too. The problem
with planning a surprise trip
is the burden is all on you to
make sure everything is ready
to go. And I’ve always approached
things with an odd
combination of early planning
and procrastination. I get
ahead up front, and then use
that to allow myself to put off
a few major details till the last
second, stressing myself.
Add to that the fact that
being away from work on a
Monday and Tuesday meant I
needed to have my paper meticulously
planned, and I had
to have things rolling for the
following week before I left.
The regular workload is a tall
order, so adding to it always
becomes a trying endeavor.
All the work ended up being
worth it, though. When I
finally got to step away from
all worries of the job, when
all the planning was done,
when I gave myself that
permission to stop paying
attention to the news that is
my living for just a few days,
I really enjoyed myself. I
relaxed. I had fun. I enjoyed
the company I was in. I really
explored the place I was
visiting. And time actually
seemed to slow down a bit
when devoid of responsibility.
We all need that sometimes.
If you check out Page
23 in this week’s paper, I
reviewed Gray Malin’s new
monograph, “Escape.” It’s
a collection of aerial photos
from some of those most
amazing places in the world.
It is printed in a large format
to help readers understand the
scope of the work, of those
scenes captured by Malin.
And while I have a few
gripes with it as a piece of art,
as a body of work, there is no
doubt it lives up to its name.
The book is, in and of itself,
an escape one can enjoy from
the comfort of the living
room.
Escapes don’t need to be
708-720-2222
expensive. They don’t need
to be surprise trips. They
don’t need to involve renting
helicopters to get a bird’s-eye
view.
They can be a night out at
a great restaurant. They can
be a book in a comfy recliner
with a candle lit. They can be
a picnic in an oft-overlooked
public park. They can be a
solo stroll through a new
neighborhood that invites
window shopping, some
quality time with a loved one
sans all the worldly responsibility,
or simply hanging out
with your closest friends.
What’s important is not
forgetting what you’re working
toward and making sure
you find your escape now and
again, whatever it may be.
Sound Off Policy
Editorials and columns are the opinions of the author. Pieces from
22nd Century Media are the thoughts of the company as a whole.
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Prairie. Letters can be mailed to: The Orland Park Prairie, 11516 West
183rd Street, Unit SW Office Condo #3, Orland Park, Illinois, 60467.
Fax letters to (708) 326-9179 or e-mail to bill@opprairie.com.
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