I woke up this morning and I got myself a beer….The future’s uncertain, and the end is always near. Yeah, 2009 is winding down. Feels like a good time to start a little “lyrical” thinking about what I’m determined to alter for 2010. No - I’m not necessarily talking about my state of consciousness, although, maybe I should be! How about you? If you're having troubles getting started on your own overhaul list, here's a suggestion that worked for me this morning: find a window to stare out of, preferable with a view of something that will sufficiently "make your season bright." Get a cup of your favorite warm or cold beverage (a bottle works too!); stick the earbuds in, tuned to your favorite set of sounds, apply your fingers to the keyboard and let 'er rip. Funny how a morning of music can inspire you. Thanks to KFOG for a great a.m. of live streaming music too! You've been part of my remaining connection to the Bay Area and sanity this past year! Oh, and before anyone accuses me, I'm too young to have been a hippie... I guess that just makes me ....
The right to be ridiculous is something I hold dear. I know that I'll go crazy if I don't go crazy.... I know I'm not alone. I vow to be ridiculous at least a few more times than usual in 2010, although exactly how my friends will know when I’ve chosen those moments remains a little sketchy. I know that going crazy and being crazy are vital components of remaining sane in this modern world. And besides, if 90% of our corporate and government gods can be certifiable whack jobs, I think it’s about time we all tried a new tactic in a fresh, new reality.
I was born in a small town, and I can breathe in a small town. Strangely enough, I returned to that small town in 2009, and my new vow for 2010 is to get the hell outta here. It’s been good in some ways, it’s been heartbreaking in others. At all times it has been eye-opening, and I’ll be returning to the Bay Area with an entirely new perspective that you can only gain by long absence from something and someone you love. Along with that new perspective comes a new business resolve to never again do business with a State government unless I can wait for more than a year to receive payment for services rendered. Hey, President Obama - there's your recovery reality! I also come away with a confirmed belief that living among the corn and the prairie and breathing all that air can truly warp your view of a world that needs people who see more than the end of their very short sights and upturned nose.
I grew drunk on water turned into wine, til I was slave and master at the same damn time.. Fool that I am. It’s the you and the me of the world. There’s only one way out of the world. I think the world got a massive dose of this lesson in 2009. I think I was ahead of the game, having received my own personal head-whack from God’s 2 X 4 in 2001. I already knew what to do to remain graceful under immense stress. I already knew that money and property are secondary to friends and family. In fact, they’re last on the list, although they definitely remain nice things to have. In 2010 I’m resolved to help as many people find their way back to the real world of living as I can.
A coyote went across the road, on the move without a home. A flash of light reminded me of you. This could well be your last stand. Hold the sunlight in your hand. Spread your fingers, feel the sand fall through. I’ve done all I can do, now it’s up to you. Shadow men talk a real good game; every punchline has your name. You cried out and no one came to you. You’re flirting with time, baby. Time is catching up with you. I’ve had some personal experiences with being homeless. If you want a truly mind-altering experience you should try it for yourself!
Strangely, the places that were supposed to be there to help did nothing. The help that did come came repeatedly from the most unexpected and the most unlikely places. I have friends still struggling with needs for shelter and jobs and just the basics of survival. This year I am committed to exposing the absolutely unbelievable disgrace that is the joke of what we call our homeless services. From “emergency shelter hot lines” that go to voice mail with promises to get back to you within 3 days, then never do; to the run-around of calling, showing up and being turned away repeatedly, all while burning the few dollars you have on bus fare, gas, and pay phones. Most homeless people aren’t there because “they deserve it.” Most of them, especially these days, are there simply because "**it" happens. They’re there because they hoped and busted their butt to the last, and in the end, they cried out, but the answers and the help didn’t come to them. I guess everybody else was off chasin their own dreams, while somebody else's painful reality cruised right on by.
I challenge you all to make the difference to a single homeless or jobless person this year and see what life-altering changes it sparks for you both. I’d give you the names and numbers for a couple of places that actually do make a difference, but the purpose of this exercise is to get you acquainted with the wonderful world that people who have nothing must confront every day. I'll give you more of a lead than most of the folks suffering in 2009 and facing more in '0-10, are getting.... start by doing a little search on the internet or in your phone book. Go ahead, trouble yourself. Call a few places and trouble yourself to follow the trail through to the end, until you find an actual person you can personally make a difference to at a shelter. Meet that person. Shake their hand. Buy that person a gift card, offer to watch their kids for an hour or two so they can get a few needed hours of sleep without keeping one eye open, or find a place where they can sleep and get out of the elements and make sure they're safe for a day or two. Hell, if you’re feeling really generous, why not just sit and listen to their stories and their troubles and figure out one small part of it you can help them sort out and leave behind. Make it personal. I'll bet it's a personal matter to someone you already know! Get the experience of what it actually takes to help someone beyond writing a check to a nameless and faceless entity or clicking a “submit” button on your computer, if you've even done that much in the past. I guarantee, you’ll think more and you’ll think differently forevermore about what the seasons of Christmas and New Year resolution are all about.
You follow your feelings, you follow your dreams, you follow the leader into the trees; and what’s in there waiting? Neither one of us knows, gotta keep one eye open the further you go. You have a dream, you go down on one knee, but who could have seen you’d be so hard to please? And you’re just a poor boy a long way from home. It’s wakeup time. Time to open up your eyes - and rise, and shine. And if you follow your feelings and you follow your dreams, you might find the forest there in the trees. Time to open up your eyes - and rise, and shine. (Thank you Tom Petty)
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