Perspective and Gifts from the Universe

A friend 

is one 

that knows you 

as you are, 

understands where 

you have been, 

accepts what 

you have become, 

and still, 

gently allows 

you to grow.

~Elbert Hubbard
Philosopher, Author, Publisher

[I saw this posted, and mis-attributed to Wm Shakespeare, and had to investigate.  The author's life story, and the number of quotes of his that we use in daily life are amazing. ]  

I had the opportunity to meet Bruno, pictured above, on my short jaunt into Chicago in August.  His life is worthy of a children's book.  Maybe someday I will get around to that one.  His life, and his owners, brought me some perspective at a challenging time.  When I see his little face, I remember how important it is to not judge a book by its cover.  I remember the power of love and how unexpectedly it can come - or maybe that it can come in unexpected packages.

We rarely have control of the gifts the universe will bestow.  The best we can try to do is be receptive when they land on our doorstep.  And, of course, to be thankful.
I am thankful! Still working to incorporate into my life all the gifts I received on that trip to Chicago.

Last travel day (MARATHON)

It started out peaceful and easy -- sleep in, go to breakfast and take a little walk near the site of the World's Fair and the lake:

The flight was a little bumpy, and the two teenagers next to me (siblings) frequently bashed into me as they play fought with each other.

 I wish I knew what this was...

apparently pretty clouds make for a bumpy ride sometimes...

 See that landscape? Getting closer...

 Oops... I forgot on the way to the airport, we waved to Barry's house's security detail.  Behind those bushes is the President's house before he moved to DC.

 Welcome to LA ... this was when I realized I wasn't going to make that 5pm train back to Oxnard...

 That's ok ... I had a lovely dinner and drink at Traxx (BAR) in the train station and went out to wait for the train.

And we weren't on the train for ten minutes before the conductor let us know that it was going to be a while before we got to our final destination.

 Apparently there was an "incident" on the tracks a few stations in ... read: someone jumped in front of that train I missed at 5pm...

 I thought I was straight because I had bought myself a little present at the airport.

 But the bus that was supposed to be coming to get us from the train did not take one hour, it took two hours... and then that bus driver got lost trying to go from one train station to the next...

 Many, many hours later, this little face was waiting for me ... pissed that she had to wait up. 

But I got home safely ... all told, left the house at 9a (Central) and arrived home at 11:30p (Pacific). I will leave you to do the math, but it was definitely a marathon travel day.

Chicago - arrival day

 First glimpses of Chicago from the train ...

 curious part, you go quite a ways into Chicago, and then you back into the station ...

 First thing I snapped a photo of at Union Station, Chicago:

 I found it to hard to resist.

 Not a lot of time to snap photos in the train station, but this is from the Grand Hall as I made my way to the street and my ride...

 I did only a tiny bit of sightseeing in downtown Chicago at the urging of my new friend.  I mostly spent time in the Art Institute's gift shop ... AMAZING things in there.

 I walked around Millennium Park and got some cool shots of the really odd structures and public art.

-

And of course, I had a ton of fun taking photos of the bean.  And I found out that its name is not The Bean but something about a cloud?

The park and the view from the park was pretty spectacular as well.

 I didn't want to intrude, so I waited til they finished but I enjoyed watching this woman pose for her husband in front of the fountain.

I am always so happy to see such a large space left "open" or relatively "open" for the use of the people. 

 I stood in this spot and watched a train go through and realized I should have taken a photo, so I waited for the next one to come through

 Finally, before I set off in search of a place to rest and COLOR, I took some pictures of the library, again right across from the park.  And some other really gorgeous buildings with beautiful texture and details: