A few minutes ago I composed a brief email reply to a friend who expressed disillusion with the human race.  Or in his words, “disgusted with people.”  I know how that feels.  I fall into that dark place on occasion.  It is easy to do.  Examples of mediocrity, stupidity, weakness and gratuitous violence abound.  These are as available as your cell phone news feed, or the front page of any newspaper.  Such accounts grab our attention so advertisers happily pay to have these featured as the “main act” so that they can piggy-back their ads with such content.

The examples of triumph, of long term effort, despite obstacles, and the friction of just living are all around us.  They just do not get top billing.

Yesterday, Friday evening Laura and I stopped at the Crossroads Bar and Grill for the Friday Night Fish Fry.  We arrived earlier than usual, and decided to sit at the bar for a few minutes until the kitchen opened.  We enjoyed one another’s company.  The bar was quiet so I took the opportunity to have a bit of conversation with the bar tender.  He has worked at Crossroads for seventeen years.  He also observed that the establishment employed over 50 people and had helped a lot of students pay for college.  The bar and grill has been in business for 30 some years, and recently has added a spacious outdoor bar, patio seating area, and twin volleyball courts.  It is quite a center for convivial gathering, an anchor point for the Mundelein community.  Just thinking about the committment, the planning, and the day by day hard work required of many to bring the Crossroads Bar and Grill to this point in time, made me feel good to be seated where we were at the end of the day.

And the fish was delicious.

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