I had a great experience last weekend. I traveled with two of my sons for a three-day weekend in Chicago. We landed Friday afternoon and stayed smack – dab in the middle of the Windy City. I will be honest; it was not what I was expecting. I’m ashamed to admit this, but I was actually a little fearful prior to my visit due to a few stories I had seen on television and social media about crime in Chicago.
It was nothing even close to being dangerous. Now, I’m certain there are areas in Chicago that are dangerous and unsafe, but I do not believe there’s a city on the planet – large or small – that does not have some danger zones. But downtown Chicago is absolutely beautiful, clean, and very safe. The people were friendly, the prices were reasonable, and the architecture was amazing.
On our first night in Chicago, we went to a famous Italian steakhouse called Gene and Georgetti. The place has been there for over eighty years and Frank Sinatra would dine there often. We sat in the same booth that Old Blue Eyes sat in back in the day. The place looked like something out of The Godfather movies. The food was great, but the experience was better.
The next morning, we rented a car and headed to South Bend, Indiana to watch the Texas A&M Aggies take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I have always wanted to attend a Notre Dame game ever since I can remember. With my youngest being an Aggie, he was able to snag us some tickets.
We got the South Bend earlier in the day and walked around the campus. Beautiful green grass and gorgeous buildings. We went over and saw the Golden Dome, the Notre Dame Basilica and visited Touchdown Jesus himself.
Although we did not light a candle at the Basilica, I did see some people in maroon shirts which I am certain we’re lighting one for their Aggies.
The rest of the afternoon, we tailgated with both the Aggies and Irish, and everyone was friendly. I have been in a lot of stadiums, but I have never been in an environment quite like the one inside Notre Dame Stadium that evening, It was electric.
The game came down to a fourth and goal for Texas A&M, and as many of you know, they scored and sealed the victory for the Aggies. Our tickets were amongst the Texas A&M players’ parents; I nearly threw out both my shoulders slapping high fives. Yes, I was an Aggie that night. It was a great game, but the experience was better.
The following day, we worked our way to Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs take on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The first two hitters of the game for Tampa Bay hit deep home runs to left field, something you don’t see very often. I lost count but think we each consumed about three Chicago Style Street dogs each and four bags of peanuts. It was an absolutely gorgeous day; the Cubs fell behind early but rallied late to win the game. I’ve not been to a professional baseball game in probably thirty years, but I know for certain, the pitch clock has improved the game dramatically. It was a great game too, but the experience was better.
That evening we went downtown to the river and feasted on Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria. With a name like that, we knew it was going to be good, and it was. It was a great meal, but the experience was better.
The late, great motivational speaker Jim Rohn said, “Time is precious. Life is not just the passing of time, life is a collection of experiences, their frequency, and their intensity.”
Experiences are just like success, they’re always more enjoyable when shared with others. I’m gonna become an experience collector. I don’t really have any hobbies to speak of. I don’t collect stamps, coins, or anything like that, so I’m going to focus on collecting experiences and events that leave an impression on me.
Yesterday evening, I sat down and wrote down the top ten experiences in my life. As I read them, memories of those experiences came flooding back to me. But what I noticed was this, all ten of them were shared with either family or friends. Some of them were big trips like the one I took to Chicago, and some were as simple as an afternoon BBQ, but I did not attend any of them alone. My trip to Chicago was a great experience but sharing that experience with my boys made it unforgettable.
Life is not just watching the clock tick away. I have no idea what the span of my life will be, but I am going to try and cram it with as many experiences, large and small, that I can.
Onward, to my next experience.
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Todd Howey is a columnist for BrownwoodNews.com whose articles appear on Fridays. Email comments to [email protected].