There are 1001 ways of amusing ourselves in America. Depending on the money available, you could go to the mall or go to Disney World. Las Vegas is built around the idea of adult entertainment 24 hours a day. New York never sleeps. But are we trying to entertain ourselves or are we escaping? There is a difference and neither is necessarily bad. But I keep thinking about the one gentleman I saw at the casino. He was playing a slot machine that said he had over $500. I believe the machine was $1 machine. He glared at us as we walked by as if he was concerned that we would try to take his money. And there was a lady who was working two machines. She would punch the buttons on one then the other, frantically trying to win back what she had spent. Were these people having fun or were they desperate for something they would never find there?
Tonight, as I sit here and blog, my daughter is reading a book. My husband is listening to a program on the radio. My other daughter is getting ready for a school trip she is taking. We have had our dinner together at the table, sharing stories from the day. If I were to ask any of them, I think they would say that they were contented and that they were enjoying themselves. Perhaps, entertainment isn't always found in the glitz and the glamour, the hustle and bustle of life. Maybe we have all bought into an idea that is inherently wrong. Maybe happiness isn't found in fancy lights and ringing machines.
