The Center of the Universe

I was recently telling one of my friends that since I've been back to work in the office (a month now), every day seems the same.  I get up at 5am, get everyone up and out of the house, go to work, go to the gym, come home and spend some time with the kids, put them to bed, and then get ready for the next day. I'm exhausted from the pace, and from the fact that I am still nursing. I turn my computer on as I crawl into bed to try and finish whatever projects are pending at work and I often fall asleep while I am waiting for the the laptop to boot up. I never get as much done during my day as I would like, feeling more like a hamster on a wheel than a productive member of society.  These days are fleeting which is what is so frustrating about all this.  I know that as Vivian gets bigger and needs me less and less, life will get easier and things will slowly return to whatever the new normal for us will be.  The contradiction is that I don't want her to get bigger.   I just want to enjoy and soak in every moment of her perfect babyness (is that a word?). 

This week I had to start traveling for work again.  I pushed it out as long as I could, but after not being on the road since February, there is a back log of out of town events that require my attention and attendance. Leaving the kids, especially Vivian is hard, but leaving Bernie and knowing he will have to do everything on his own is even harder.  

I had a mediation in Tulsa earlier this week, and had never been to Oklahoma before.  I was looking for a few sites to see in case I never have a reason to go back.  I was also trying to keep from throwing myself a pity party in my hotel room, upset about the fact that I was 1500 miles away from my family. I had some trouble finding anything of interest.  I would have loved to see the Discoveryland production of Oklahoma, but it was not playing during my visit. I was two days early for both the Tulsa State Fair and the Go-Gos concert at the Hard Rock. Trying to help me find some good in my trip, my friend sent me a link to the "must see" landmarks of Tulsa and I decided to go on the hunt.

The center of the universe (or axis mundi “center of the world”) is described as the “celestial pole and graphic pole, it expresses a point of connection between sky and earth where the four compass directions meet.” I discovered this week, that the Center of the Universe is in Tulsa. Who would have thought? 

The Center of the Universe "sculpture" is on the top of a pedestrian footbridge, crossing train tracks.  When you stand in the middle of it you can hear yourself echo, but the echo will not be heard from any other spot.  There are a lot of legends about this "Center of the Universe," one is that it is haunted.  Here I am standing in the "Center of the Universe," sadly it is covered in graffiti.

From that spot, I was able to view two other Tulsa landmarks: the Artificial Cloud Sculpture and the Bok Tower; both are pictured here:

The Artifical Cloud was installed in 1991 and is said to represent the destruction of society by technology.  The steel structure is 72.5 feet tall and has been allowed to corrode over time, allegedly as part of its message.  The internet was barely in its infancy when the sculpture was installed, yet the designer seems to have predicted that a "cloud" of some sort may be connected with technology in the future.  Behind the "cloud" is the Bank of Oklahoma tower which was designed by the same person who designed the World Trade Center towers, and was intended as a replica. At 52 floors, it is the largest skyscraper of the plains states.

At the center of the universe is a black cloud, in front of a World Trade Center replica. While I am sure it is a concidence, it certainly makes the list of "things that make you go hmmmm...."

Tulsa experienced an economic boom and a large amount of growth in the 1920s, at a time when the Art Deco movement became fashionable. As a result, architecture buffs from all over the world come to Tulsa to view one of the world's preeminent collections of Art Deco buildings. I do not claim to know anything about architecture but the buildings done in this style are nothing short of interesting. One of the most famous examples is the Boston Avenue Methodist Church, which is really quite beautiful:

While we are on the topic of religion, I did also make a quick stop at the Oral Roberts University.  At the entrance is the praying hands statute, weighing 30 tons and standing 60 feet high, it is largest bronze sculpture in the world:

The campus was constructed in the 1960s and 1970s and the buildings are done in a futuristic style that looks like it was inspired by "The Jetsons." Here are some of the pictures that I took:

I did not take a picture of the prayer tower, but if you are interested, there is a picture if you click on this link.

Tulsa has a system of running trails along the Arkansas River, also known as Tulsa River Parks. I did not have enough daylight to check that out, but might do that if I am ever in town again. 

The actual Center of the Universe is definitely not in Tulsa.  According to Paul Doherty, Exploratorium Teacher Institute, “[e]very point in the universe sees itself as the center.” For me, my family (Bernie, the kids, and the dog), is at the center of the universe and I am happy to be back home with them!