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Being
Here
If you are bored, you’re probably
boring.
I
returned home to Cincinnati 18 months ago
after nearly a decade in Cleveland. Since
then I’ve been abundantly blessed in
all things, in business, in writing and
in travel. Few things make me think more
about the importance of place and home than
travel. And as a writer, I journal about
my journeys, to record various and sundry
important things for future reference. Things
like:
In New York: Saw Ethan Hawke in lobby of
the Chelsea Hotel!!
In Bali: Am in love, in love, in love with
a 29-year-old Argentinean gypsy surfer named
Eduardo!!
En
route to Paris: Already met French painter/writer
on freakin’ plane!! He has some French-
sounding name that begins with L. Good dresser,
smells good.
And
this: It was a warm night for October. Long-haired,
handsome, Belgian Jean-Francois; dark, curly
haired art collector/ad guy Andrew; the
always-beautiful Sarah and I stood on the
sidewalk in front of an art gallery. It
is off the beaten path, this street, which
is why the band out back of the gallery
can play so loud, creating a soundtrack
to the ’50s burlesque girlie show video
projected against the side of a building
across the street. After a bite of sushi
at a nearby Japanese restaurant, where we
met up with Benno, an equally handsome German
friend of Jean-Francois’s, the five
of us went to see a performance in a cavernous
space, like some sort of icehouse or catacomb
from another century. Upstairs, past the
surreal, strangely beguiling art, five women
sang, danced and told stories. It was entrancing:
the space, the performance, the art, the
company. It was a perfectly lovely evening.
And
here’s the thing. This perfectly lovely
evening took place in perfectly lovely Cincinnati
with actual Cincinnatians!
I
constantly read or hear complaints about
Cincinnati, about how bad it is for singles
or how boring a place it is in which to
live. I suspect that "It’s hard
to be single in Cincinnati" really
means "It’s hard to find a partner
in Cincinnati." I contend that it is
not hard to be single in Cincinnati if you
really enjoy being single. And I further
contend that Cincinnati has a lot to offer
even the most discriminating traveler.
I
confess: I am a former complainer, a recovering
Cincinnati basher. What steps did I take
to recover? I learned that there is joy
and beauty and fun lurking around every
corner. And if you smile, open your eyes,
quit looking for Mr. Goodbar and get the
heck off the couch, there is a huge world
to enjoy and exciting people to show you
the way. Yes, even here in Cincinnati.
And
if that sounds too hokey, then read how
Cincinnatian Mary Magner explained it to
my son Nick in "What I Wish I Had Known
When I Was 16," the book of advice
I compiled for his 16th birthday: If you
are bored, you are probably boring.
stacy
sims
On
that warm October night she visited Semantics
Gallery, Ko-Sho Japanese Restaurant and
the performance space SS Nova.
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