Laughter: life’s sweetest creation!
I’ve always thought bars were filled with people drinking themselves off their bar stools and have avoided them like the plague. But moods are contagious, and if you’re around good ones long enough, you’re bound to catch some of it. Enter, Squirrel’s Tavern, my antidote to the unrelenting anger, tragedy and trauma of THE NEWS. This small establishment downtown has turned my bias upside down.
The name itself drew us in. (“Squirrel” was the nickname given to the owner in high school by his coach because he couldn’t stop chattering on the sidelines!) We went because we heard they had the best burgers in town. We’ve stayed because having dinner there is an instant pick-me-up. This small place is brimming with people talking a mile-a-minute. Dozens of conversations are going all at once with plenty of laughter. The food is good, the service, surprisingly excellent. The roar of a good time is music to my ears.
Fascinating collection of organized chaos
We go early, maybe 5:00, so we can catch a booth. Conversations are impossible for us otherwise. Then we sit and watch the world of Squirrel’s, where peak roar is deafening. I take the side that faces the back so I can watch the kitchen action while Bill sits across the table enjoying the animated faces of people having a good time. All lubricated with alcohol, of course. Walls are lined with memorabilia, ceiling is stapled with dollar bills, and music is trying to be heard over the din. How the wait servers keep track of where to go when is beyond me. But they’re on it!
A Good Mood Can Replace a Bad One on a Dime.
It’s true that taverns have always been for greasing social wheels and trying to forget about troubles. The difference now is how important this little island of relief has become to us in combatting the constant, detailed, flow of bad news. Guarding my own mental health is becoming more important than ever so I value a good mood when I see it… or feel it. I see bad ones everyday in the faces of drivers, customers, clerks, friends, and even in my own house where we catch ourselves more often starting the day complaining about one thing or another. NO, NO, NO!
It is surprising that I like this place so much because Squirrel’s is the opposite of me; I’ve spent the last chunk of my life seeking silence and simplifying… everything. But the truth is, it’s irresistible to be where sadness is not.
Laughter is life’s sweetest creation so this old dog is, once again, learning new tricks! A better mood lets me see everything with new eyes and I love a new perspective. BTW, they serve a mean meatloaf and smashed potatoes there every Thursday night.
Weeded out this week: My bias against going into bars. I’ve always thought they were just places where people were numbing themselves from a bad times, but no, there’s more. The light-hearted mood in Squirrel’s lifts me up every time!