Perhaps many of you know what it's like to be in a slump.

With the economy being as tough as it is these days it's no wonder.

But what I am referring to is more of a drifting malaise. You can't put your finger on it, but you just don't seem to have that rosy-cheeked outlook on life or be quite as ready for the next day.

It's difficult for me to pin-point what exactly has caused my melancholy, but it's definitely there. I am tired more often than I should be. I get irritable more often than I once did.

And the bad thing is that I am actually feeling BETTER than I have in recent weeks.

I have been playing basketball with some church friends once a week and that seems to have jump-started the whole metabolism a bit. I've lost a few pounds (playing at 2 p.m. for two hours in the afternoon sun in May can do that to you) but it's still there, hanging over me like a cloud.

Fortunately, there have been breaks in those clouds - moments when the sun breaks through.

And there really is no substitute for the power of cheese.

You don't do dairy products, you say?

Well, that's not quite what I'm not talking.

I am talking about the power of that rare rodent - Chuck E. Cheese.

Our little girl, Sara, turned four last month and for the prior six months all she could talk about was going to Chuck E. Cheese, that house of gaming and singing fun off of Wrightsboro Road in Augusta.

So we made the call and set everything up.

But to tell you the truth, I really wasn't looking forward to it all that much (other than seeing Sara open her gifts). I know, that's bad to say, but I was in the middle of a couple of rough weeks and I knew it was going to be a big production.

Going on parties held in the past, I knew it was going to be a long day.

In other words, it was going to be a lot of work (or so I thought).

Not to mention the money that was going to be spent - and after Sheila had just spent three weeks out of work and I had taken a recent pay cut it really was no small consideration at the time.

Still, we were committed to making this happen for Sara because she deserved it.

What I didn't realize was that so did her mom and dad.

That's because all my "fears" were totally unfounded.

We had an absolute blast.
I really have no idea who had the better time, Sara or myself. The two hours or so we spent there were filled with complete, unhindered, unadulterated and unapologetic fun.

The staff at Chuck E. Cheese handled the entire party brilliantly. My wife should be credited for her brilliance as well in setting up the party on a Thursday evening with no crowds (and extra tokens).

She knew weeks ago that this would work and that her husband was just a doofus.

Our hostess was friendly and helpful, and we didn't have to do anything at all.

There was no "work" to bog down all the fun.

So instead of having to worry about entertaining 30 guests and keeping everyone happy, everyone just kind of did their own thing. It was absolutely wonderful.

Sara got to dance with Chuck E. Cheese, her daddy got to have a hoops shootout with her Uncle Mark and Uncle Robbie and Nanny got to roll Skee-Ball.

Nanny is an absolute shark with those wooden balls in her hand - she loves it. And I love watching her doing something she loves. We really need to put one of those in her house (hint, hint Uncle Mark).

But what I'm saying is that everyone had fun, and I needed the break from reality.

I had sort of forgotten what it felt like to just have pure for-the-heck-of-it fun and it felt great.

So you see, there really is nothing like the power of cheese.

I totally recommend it.