Michelle....Chicago....Rhythm on Randolph -- A Most Fabulous Trifecta

Oh, My Michelle!

Nope, she's not actually "mine." I'm not that selfish...  It's just that there are a lot of Michelle's out there in the world, so I like to lovingly refer to her as "My Michelle."  Much better than "Michelle, my bell."  Right?

Well, she's wonderful.  Smart.  Stunning (seriously!).  Thoughtful.  Efficient.  Sweet, savvy, saucy, sneaky, and silly.  A loyal friend.  A most fabulous person!

Why write such a glowing homage today?  You guessed it...it's her birthday.  Of course I feel this way about her everyday.  Today it just seemed fitting to share this with others in honor of my friend. 

In an attempt to keep most of the special nuances of our friendship private (which I respect because Michelle truly values intimacy between friends), I'd like to focus on one (believe me, there's MANY!) of her major life accomplishments that is very dear to my heart.

Rhythm!

I hope that those who are lucky enough to know her had a chance to experience Rhythm.  If the opportunity unfortunately passed you by, in a nutshell, Rhythm was a bar that Michelle and her partners Rob and Doug opened on Randolph Street in Chicago's West Loop.  Please take a moment to read all about it here.  And here.  Here.  And finally...here.  Oh wait...there's some pretty good reviews here!

I know, I know.  Overkill.  I just want you to get the full effect, you know?

Anyway, let's say you've never participated in a drum circle before (gasp!).  I once tried to capture the feeling in words, so maybe this will help: (I gave this to Michelle when I heard that Rhythm was closing)

IN HONOR OF RHYTHM

rap rap rap TAP slap TAP slap slap

rap rap rap TAP slap TAP slap rap!

we clap our hands and stamp our feet

at our favorite place to meet on Randolph Street

long steady beat

we feel the heat of

our throbbing hands as we

SLAM jam jam SLAM

SLAM jam jam SLAM!

ALIVE comes the pit!

our souls commit

in the circle we dance, prance, groove, move, shake, quake, quiver, quaver,

romp, stomp, gyrate, gravitate, twirl, whirl, swirl, reel FEEL.

It's personal.

Your way

my way

his way

her way

their way

our way

djembe!

Shhhhhh.....

easy, soft, gentle, hush,

shh, shh, shush, shush,

easy, soft, gentle, hush,

shh, shh, shush.

hold it- hold it- hold it- hold it

low low low low

slow slow slow slow

sssss llll oooooo wwwwwww

long soft song.....

GONG!

And now for the Rhythm photo montage... 
**Photos are courtesy and property of Aaron Frey and Chrissy Richter**

(Rob, I apologize...I can't find ANY pics of you!  And not for lack of trying.  Ugh.)

Michelle, wherever your future journey takes you, always know that your past is a true testament to you as a person.  No one can ever take that away.

 Happy Birthday, Lovie.
-DTL