Some people want fine wines and fancy gourmet meals. No thanks. I mean, I DO appreciate those things and will enjoy them when offered, but those are never the things I seek for myself.
Give me the low-brow pleasures that abound in this world. What’s better than a cheesy parking lot carnival? Ride operators who look like they’ve lived hard. Midway barkers with a song or a wolf whistle, depending on the mark. Cheap thrills! OK, not really cheap, based on the empty wallet I carry out, but I always leave with a smile, a belly full of corndogs and funnel cake, and a little asphalt grunge on me. That’s a perfect evening.
My favorite vacation spot is known as the “Redneck Riviera” I’ll take that over the actual Riviera any day. I love buffets, cheap beer, jeans, t-shirts, flip flops and five dollar canvas sneakers. Turn me loose in a bakery discount store and serve me bologna sandwiches, and I’m a happy girl. A trip to a thrift store is all the retail therapy I need or want.
I’ve been to the opera, ballet, and Broadway theater and those are all great things. I enjoy them. But I will always prefer a dive bar and a band of musicians within a few feet of me and my bottle of beer.
I guess that’s the point of it. All of these things that I prefer are up close and personal. I’m not watching from afar or waiting to be served, I’m in the middle of it while activity swirls around me. I’m actively participating in my cheap thrills rather than watching from a separated distance..
When reflecting on my own life, it seems to me that all of my best moments were experienced smack in the middle of the action and not from the box seats. The best meals came with great company, not linen napkins. The best travels were about wrong turns, not first class seats. So, I’ll take more of that please. Bring on the cheap thrills!
