banner image courtesy of StockSnap from Pixabay
We are thankful for – and celebrate – our fathers, our mothers, our soldiers and even our good fortune in the year gone by. But we rarely celebrate one very important aspect in our lives: Friendship. How? - asks Fox in a Box Chicago.
Father’s Day. Mother’s Day. Memorial Day. Thanksgiving.
All days that we celebrate something we are thankful for.
Celebrating what we are thankful are is our tradition.
And yet, there is something that is missing in all of this.
When we feel that our parents are being ‘so unreasonable’ with us, that our spouse ‘just doesn’t get’ us, where do we go?
A bar, to drink our sorrow away?
Nope...and even if we did, we’d be thankful if there were someone who’d turn up in time to remind us that alcohol doesn’t really solve anything. It may merely help us momentarily escape* to a dreamland, but that doesn’t last. (Hold that thought, I’ll come back to it later)
And, that someone happens to be – a friend.
They aren’t a blood relative, like your parents.
They aren’t legally related to you, like your spouse or your in-laws.
They are the people who have no biological or legal relationship with you. Only an emotional one.
They are your friends.
Many say that it was Joyce Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards, who came up with the idea of a day dedicated to the celebration of friendship.
Others say it was the 74th Congress which first established the idea of marking the first Sunday in August every year as the day we celebrate friendship.
Whoever it was, the idea of one day in the year set aside for being thankful for and celebrating friendship has not caught on in the manner of Father’s Day, Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day, has it?
And Fox in a Box Chicago, the #1 Escape Room in the United States, is committed to shaking up this status quo, and to giving Friendship Day the celebrity it deserves.
How might one go about celebrating Friendship Day?
Call them
We’re all so busy with our work and lives and may not be able to set aside time to go and meet up with friends. Especially since Friendship Day hasn’t caught on on that level yet.
However a call through to your friends, asking them how they are and so on – real human interaction – can work wonders to deepen your bond.
We’ve so become used to messaging each other on Snapchat or ‘hanging out’ on Facebook that a phone call itself becomes an event for us.
Visit them
While I know we’re all so busy with our lives, it is a good idea to try to make the time to go and visit them in person.
Even if you don’t have time for a whole evening visit, a quick (unannounced) drop in at their workplace does a world of good.
I knew a guy who did just that. Stopped by where his friend worked. But his friend wasn’t at his desk just then.
So he left a note ‘It’s a wonder you can find anything on this mess you call a desk. Your long suffering pal, Andrew’.
Plan a night out with them
Of course, nothing beats a night out.
If you’re in the Loop (in Chicago), a good place to start can be Grant Park, which is centrally located and easily reachable from any of the subway lines and many bus stops. Or, you can just grab a Divvy bike.
Grant Park, with its numerous attractions like the Buckingham Fountain and the formal gardens, is a place where you can really hang out, unlike the ‘hanging out’ you do on Facebook.
There’s a Malnati's, featuring some of Chicago’s finest deep dish pizza (their New York style is also solid), a 15 minute walk from the park.
Just up the street from Malnati’s there’s a Devil Dawgs, a must-visit for burger, dog & milkshake lovers.
To top off the night, walk on to East Balbo Drive, where you’ll find Buddy Guy’s Legends, a well-known blues club.
If you’re in the mood for some escape, robbing banks or (re)living the Cold War, you can swing by yours truly. Just cross the street at Devil Dawgs and walk up West Polk Street till you reach Dearborn Station (the historic red brick building with a clock tower). We’d be delighted to see you!
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