Can I get another?

It's no wonder that booze is readily available at funerals and going away parties.

Why don't we turn to brussel sprouts for comfort? Is there something unfriendly about things that are pulled from a garden? Is comfort best felt when it comes from something derived in a barrel or concocted in a barn?

Any emotion be it frustration, sadness, anxiety, stress is all the more manageable when we wrap a warm soft blanket of alcohol around it. The brutal week, the rough patch, the unexpected goodbye....they all seem easier to conquer when we feel a little blurry......our breath is slow and easy......our reaction time lethargic.

It's as if we've been caught in a flash from a camera. The tracers linger and for just a moment nothing can be seen, it's all a wall of bright reflected light. Like static for the eyes.

Then, as quick as the shutter opens, the eyes blink and the scene becomes focused, no more soft fuzzy edges. And then we order another hoping to get right back under that blanket. Oh boy what a day today has been. What I wouldn't give to be on the beach in Manistee wrapped in my personal blanket and starring up at the stars. The beach coupled with the whiskey I've entertained tonight would do this girl some good. Open space tends to calm me.

Before my last ice cube sucks the glass dry, I raise my glass and bid a fond farewell to a rockin' co-worker and friend. Here's to tamales, injury reports, cussing, cackles and sunshine. Safe travels and many happy successes to you.