10:22 PM >> Reflecting Pool

Being as how I am working out of town this week, after getting into an argument with the wifey what I really needed was a drink and a smoke. Fortunately, there is a convenience store about a 30 second walk from the hotel, so I strolled over to get a 40 and a pack of C's. On the way back, taking those calming drags of the tobacco, I noticed the hotel had an indoor pool. Man, there's not much more relaxing than sitting poolside on a warm summer night, sucking down a brewski and inhaling smoke, feeling the nice summer breezes play around in the spaces around your body. After finishing my smoke I had the idea to take off my shoes and sit with my legs in the water. As luck would have it, I dangled my feet right in front of one of those air jets designed to keep the water circulating, so I got to enjoy a nice underwater foot massage. When your feet feel good, your body feels good. I learned this as a child from one of my Mom's good friends, and boy, was she right about that. I decided then and there that if I have to come back to this place I will definitely bring my bathing suit. A late evening dip in the pool each night will be tres relaxing.

This decision played into a realization I had during dinner tonight. Let me back up a little bit, though, and explain that this was a sweet-A dinner: near-gourmet sushi accompanied by flowing bottles of [unfiltered] sake. Easily the best sushi I ever had, my first experience with sake, and all for free. Sitting there eating the Debra Roll, I had a revelation: so long as I am going to have to travel for work--and as long as I am a consultant, I will travel; as long as I live in Atlanta (2 more years!), I will be a consultant--I may as well have a positive attitude about it.

Yes, it sucks to not to get to play indoor soccer. And it sucks even more being away from my wife all week, and it also sucks not seeing my friends except sporadically on the weekends. But when I travel, I get sweet, free dinners. I get more time to read and write and create. I talk to more friends than if I were at home because I am lonely at night. Shit, I'm probably going to Graceland this weekend. But so long as I entirely dwell on the negative and how miserable I am, I'll only continue the negative feedback loop of miserableness. So now, I am going to enjoy the traveling and the learning and the experiences and the food, oh the sweet, delicious, fattenig food.