Just icing on the cake...

CHATTANOOGA, Nov. 22 -- What I'll take from a perfect night here in Knoxville's cousin to the south isn't the music.

Oh, but it was wonderful, of course. My favorite singer played at a place called the Midtown Music Hall -- complete with a dance floor and a revolving disco ball.

It was annoying at first because it put so much distance between the performer and the audience. But it cast the night in a heavenly, ethereal glow -- perfect for the chanteuse from Blount County.

No, what I'll remember from this trip was sitting in the Pickle Barrel before the show, talking about life and sharing stories that made the world not only a little less lonely, but a lot smaller.

I've mentioned before that simple moments are what make life special. I'd add to that list times when, through shared experience, you learn that, yes, somebody else has stood in your shoes before. They made it through the rain -- and you might, too.

Life is funny. We don't know what the morrow will bring. That's probably a good thing. I got into a conversation later in the weekend with a familiar face from Halls history who told me a bit about his life and then said, "Man, you just never know. Seems like everything I thought I knew about life has been turned upside down."

Maybe so. But, I'll tell you this. If the world goes to hell, or I become lost between exits again, I'll forever remember a cold winter's night in Chattanooga in which the sweet sounds of Robinella proved for once to merely be icing on the cake.