Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Obvious Gems

I went to a local restaurant to catch up with an old friend I hadn’t seen in about 3 years. It is a common hang out/meet-up spot in downtown Detroit that I’ve frequented a million times. As we were walking out my friend led me in a different direction and I was surprised to see there was a whole other side with more seating, bar and band that I NEVER knew was there. I asked if it was new and with a chuckle my friend said UH.. NO! It was funny because I’m a known downtown dweller, lover of most things Detroit.

There are a lot of new spots downtown that I could get a pass on not knowing about, but a place that has been in Detroit for as long as I have? – we both arrived in ’89 - no way! I couldn’t believe that after all these years of dinners and letsgettogethers, I didn’t know about the OTHER SIDE. No, I will not tell you the restaurant in order to spare myself from an onslaught of Dorethia, areyoukiddingme emails and jokes. I’ve already given you a hint anyway. I would like to keep my Detroiter Card in tact thank you very much!

I was thinking about how many times we miss out on an experience because we are used to doing things a certain way or taking a certain route. Oftentimes it’s unconsciously. I always came in and went to the bar or to tables in the direction I was used to. Life is the same way sometimes, things are right in front of us and instead of taking a moment to check it out, we step over it or ignore it to go in the direction that is familiar or safe to us. It would truly be a great benefit to be a little more attentive to our surroundings, the people in our lives, the experiences available to us - we may find a gem we passed over the first time (or a million times) around.


-Dorethia

No comments: