Sunrises over Hooters
Go Back Home to Michigan
Take the Invitation
Sunrises over Hooters
The adventure began with Kait (Pidge) and Davide (Lil Llams) putting their patooties in the Kait mobile and driving from Detroit to Chicago/Rosemont. Some good chatting and a lot of Ne-Yo, Usher, Ludacris and Backstreet Boys later (we both reached for the dial at the same time to turn up “I want it that way”) we arrived in beautiful…Rosemont, Illinois.
We pulled up to our luxurious Holiday Inn and parked in the lot FOR FREE YAY! Maybe the one thing Rosedale/Rosemont has got on Chicago. Then we got blown into the front door by 2000 mile an hour winds (measured accurately by the new hairdo I had when we got inside). You know, just Chicago/Rosemont living up to the hype. We checked in and opened the door to our room on the 7th floor. Pretty nice for $79 a night with a beautiful view out our window of the Chicago skyline to the east, airplanes taking off and landing at nearby O’Hare airport (which is really leaning into its name with a ton of billboards around it for hair restoration), and of course to the west the family establishment – Hooters.
After buying a new deck of Chicago blinged out gold and shiny cards in the hotel gift shop (because I forgot our favorite Greek erotica cards at home) we went into the hotel Bar Louie for drinks and dinner. We had some beers to celebrate our arrival and then an infinite amount of tater tots, both sweet potato and regular, with a finite amount of mac and cheese and a burger, while we observed a lot of amount of PDA from nearby couples. After sultry live music from a guitarist and a gusty night, it seemed like everyone was snuggling in with whoever was next to them. Thankfully for me that was Kait.
We woke up at butt oclock to the sunrise because we forgot to close the window shade. There is nothing like those Holiday Inn sunrises in Rosemontdale over the Chicago skyline. Cuddling Kait while watching the greatest show on earth is the way I want to start every morning.
Go Back Home to Michigan
We Flyin Ostriched our way through the front doors of the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center and we had arrived at our first travel show! The special feeling of that moment set in as we romantically put on each other’s wrist bands slowly (without getting any of the sticky part on my arm hair thanks kait) and we held hands while holding the travel show program long enough to take a picture of the moment. It was then that we noticed the passes simply said “Meet Abraham Lincoln” on them and we were like “what does that have to do with a travel and adventure show?” Maybe that’s the adventure part….going back in time!
We then crossed the threshold and went to meet up with one of my best friends James who drove in from Milwaukee for this historic event. He texted me to meet him at the bar right next to the Segway driving area.. So, it turns out the travel show has a bar, and a Segway driving area! Upon hugging Kait and I, James broke it to me that I looked like a “substitute art teacher” in my flamingo tie and blue pants. That was spot on.
We meandered through the initial travel booths of the show with enticing exotic global destinations such as Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. There was a guy selling knives and a person selling windows. This show really had it all – how inclusive! Then the three of us met Abe Lincoln. It turns out his name is Kevin and he is from Southeastern Michigan. Right when we met him he needed to use the bathroom. He did not return for about an hour. No questions asked. When he returned, (no we did not wait for him) I somehow got a picture with him in a trophy pig chair for two outside of the Shipshewana Travel Booth. This one you do have to see to believe it. A picture is worth one word – wow.
Our first travel presentation of the event was from a woman that had led trips to Italy for over 30 years. Since Kait and I were going to Italy in about a month, (we are even taking Italian lessons), we thought this presentation was relevant. Even though our neighboring travel goers thought we knew the speaker because we cheered for her and had a lot of excited energy, we soon found her to be presenting a type of travel we despise. It was all about private travel where everything you do on the trip is scheduled on the itinerary. There is no room for spontaneity or getting a little lost or creating authentic connection with the locals. From the minute you start the trip, your experience is crafted and controlled. It made me want to scream. That definitely counts as travel but with no room for adventure and this was the “Travel and Adventure Show.” The part that made us cringe most was when the presenter shared that her passengers “don’t even have to touch a euro.” Gross. To be honest, I love touching euros, they are shiny and seem much cleaner than dollars. The point though is that this sanitized version of travel appeals to some kind of audience of American tourists, that is why she has been in business for over 30 years. However, Kait and I both felt like it takes away from travel, everything we love about travel and that hopefully there are others like us who would join us in a collective cringe upon hearing this presentation and who crave real adventure in their travel.
Next we heard a presenter whose presentation included some really gnarly slides including many exclamation marks and one picture of unnecessary bleeding eyelids. I am not sure what a necessary bleeding eyelids powerpoint would be. The global travel expert preceded to tell us that her #1 recommended destination is…northern Michigan! Two Michiganders and a Wisconsinite sitting there like…touche but not in the wintertime!! And ain’t it a bitch to travel 4.62 hours to this global travel and adventure show from Michigan to be pitched to…return to Michigan.
Going home to Michigan, after living many other places, was actually the best decision I ever made because that is how I met Kait.
Take the Invitation
We tried to hear a presentation about travel to Antarctica after that but I think the presenters were stuck in Antarctica because they didn’t show up. So then we walked around the booths a bit to walk that awkward presentation off and try to find the next frontier beyond Michigan for travel. That is when we were invited to visit a country called Palau,a small island nation archipelago of over 500 islands off the eastern coast of the Philippines. The Palau contingent first shared how the nation is very Americanized as it uses the American dollar, both English and Palau are its official languages, and you can get anything you need from American culture there. We shared that we were looking for the exact opposite, to get away from American culture and truly experience genuine culture in support of the indigenous there. Then the conversation changed. It was important to hear of the ways in which the Palauian people are holding onto their heritage and culture despite the domination of the US on its land. It was fascinating to learn about a country we didn’t know existed and we left that booth inspired to someday visit Palau. For real, Palau get ready for Kait and David!
You know you are serious about travel when you go to day 2 of the travel show. Lincoln was still there. Lithuania guy was wearing the same tie. The hot dogs and pizza slices were still $15 a piece. It was perfect. We asked someone to take our photo in front of the official Travel and Adventure Show sign and we accidentally got someone who was a professional photoshoot taker. For real, she hooked us up with some great shots! Then we saw her go on stage as part of the next panel for the session we were most excited about. The amazing panel from the travel company, Wanderful, which supports women to travel and build solidarity, shared tips and stories about remote work around the world. I loved this panel and the possibilities that were shared that seemed like where Kait and I are headed. One of the main tips I remember for remote work is to wear BIG headphones so people know you are working and don’t bother you.
As much as we loved Rosedale/Rosemont and being on our first business trip, it was time for some romantic time downtown together away from all the travel agents trying to get us to visit Michigan. We walked out into the sunny and relatively warm February Chicago day and for a few blocks just took in some rays like sunflowers. Kait saw a sign in the middle of the sidewalk for a bookstore that I missed because I was staring into the sun (also because they had signs every few steps that said watch out for falling ice so I was doing that). We went into this bookstore that smelled just like a bookstore because it was a bookstore. Mmmmm delicious. I found a book that was half off called the Invitation by Ora. Kait commented that you know its a good book store when there feminism and other political/social section is over half of the bookstore. I agreed. Since it was so nice outside we extended our walk back to our car to include a circumambulation (yes I wanted to use that word since I woke up Kait) of the bean. Kait had never been to the bean before, despite loving Chicago. I’m glad we didn’t park our car directly underneath it because when we got there a dance group was performing a low key flashmob. After that we leaned over the edge to watch the ice skaters. The worst and smallest skaters were pushing around these little cute penguins that helped them with balance and stability. Out of nowhere a skating couple emerged that looked like they just came back from the Winter Olympics. Seeing them spin and glide across the ice was deeply presencing and I thought how beautiful people are, especially when they are gliding and twirling like birds in the sky. I read Kait the first page of my $3.43 bookstore find which was the poem – The Invitation. When I finished reading it and looked into Kait’s eyes I could feel in my heartsicles this ever growing love for her continue to deepen.
The Invitation
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me is true
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘Yes.’
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have.
I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
by Oriah Mountain Dreamer
