Last week, my kids were on spring break from school, and I decided to take them to the Field Museum in Chicago.  I figured it would be good for them to get a little more education in their lives.

(Also, the Avengers exhibit at The Museum of Science and Industry was sold out).

My kids are fascinated by dinosaurs, so we spent the bulk of our time in the dinosaur exhibit.  If you've never been, I can't recommend it enough.  The museum does a great job of making you feel like you've gone back in time billions of years.  They walk you through ancient oceans and volcanoes and forests, teaching you about how various organisms came to be, and also how they died.  The museum explains the 5 known "mass extinctions," and also explains that there will undoubtedly be another one.

Needless to say: the questions from the kids on the car ride home were intense.  

As dark as it sounds, the idea of death and the passage of time really calmed me down this week.  It's not the first time this has happened; the staff at my restaurant knows that I bring it up a lot, because it eases my stress about day-to-day frustrations. Reader, during times when we're inclined to magnify our worries--it often helps to zoom out, step back, and keep in mind how short our lives are. 

(Cue Kansas singing "Dust In The Wind.")

I leave you with this picture of Sue the T-rex, just as a reminder: we're all gonna die!  So enjoy every moment this week, and please don't sweat it all so much. See you next Monday. -Em