oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
...Robert Burns, To a Mouse (Poem, November, 1785)
While I had no schemes for this past Saturday, I did have some plans, but plans do have a tendency to change. This is a fact of life. It's neither a good thing, nor a bad. It is what it is.
So, with my Saturday evening free, I found myself at loose ends. What to do? I didn't feel like staying in: The weather cooperated and today turned out to be beautiful, warm but not hot, comfortable but not humid. A rarity for Pittsburgh this time of year, so best to take advantage of it.
After spending the last few nights cleaning out my basement, and today working in the yard and cleaning the house, I felt I'd earned dinner out, rather than taking something from the freezer. A quick trip to Primanti's for, of all things, a Gyro (with fries in in) satisfied my physical hunger, but I yearned for something...more.
I just didn't know what that was, so I decided to fall back on the tried and true: Chai tea.
It was obvious which vendor I was going to visit, but with so many different locations to choose from, it was more a question where. That's when I remembered: Every Saturday night, they have a live jazz concert at the Shoppes at Penn Center East, near Monroeville. Might be a few people there, but it'll be interesting. I'd never been to the concert there before, and I'd always wanted to, so I decided, tonight was the night.
Got there a little early, but already, the little plaza was full. It was a "bring your own chair" kind of event, and I was lacking in this area. Thankfully, the Sears had a portable chair that was in my, shall we say, weight class, for a more-than-reasonable price (thank you, end-of-season clearance specials), so it was off to the show.
I couldn't have asked for a more perfect evening. Clear skies, nice breeze, pleasant, and great music.
There's something about a jazz concert. People are smiling, nodding, tapping their toes but at the same time, being friendly and sociable. Families are there. Kids are (mostly) well-behaved. Some folks show up dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, some, as they say, dressed to the nines. I took my new seat and found a nice spot to the rear. From here, I could hear the music, but also watch the audience and observe.
Something interesting in observing the "human condition" at events like these. Some folks chat with family, most are tapping their toes, but everyone is just there to listen to good music and have a good time.
That's why I was there, and I was glad I came.
Yeah, it wasn't the evening I'd hoped for, but it was a nice night nonetheless. There are a couple more concerts planned before they end. After all, once August ends, we all understand Summer's over around these parts (even if the weather's still nice for another good two months). Still, I think I might take my chair and try to make another show on another Saturday night. Might not be as perfect as this one, but then...life doesn't have to be perfect.
As long as you're living, that's all that matters.
4 comments:
Your evening sounds as if it was divine. :)
you deserved a night out after having to clean the basement and all. Good for you. :) Sounds like you had a nice evening.
It was a gorgeous evening.
Thank you, dear ladies.
I'm just dropping in to give you big *hugs*
Post a Comment