Forever Paisley

Early Monday morning I was forced to return to reality after a barefoot, carefree weekend at Northwest String Summit, 2010.  Four days under the roof of my tent.  No cell reception, internet or television.  Thousands of loving, free-spirited people from all over the country.  Set after set of Yonder.   Appearances by Keller Williams and Mickey Hart.  Picking up hitchhikers.  Cooking for the “family” over the camp stove.  Painting on a canvas created with branches.  That was the reality I wanted to hold on to.

Just after midnight, as we drove North on 1-5 back into Seattle I was reminded that

my experiences over the last four days had been far from reality.  Skyscrapers.  Stadiums.  Light Pollution.  Lanes of cars.  McDonald’s.  My parking garage.  An elevator.  A concierge.  And on my night stand … an alarm clock.  Reality.  Life.  I was back.  Physically at least.

Mentally I am still soaking it all in.  Dreaming.  Planning.  Wondering.  Laughing.  Laughing at the fact that here I am, back in the city.  Back where there are 100’s of bars and restaurants within walking distance of my home, miles of art galleries, live music every night, 617,000 people, natural beauty wherever you look and yet … I feel bored.  Under stimulated.  Detached from the people, places and things around me.  Itchy.

After 5 weeks on the road, visiting with family, reuniting with friends, playing outdoors and hippie dancing all over the country … I didn’t expect that readjusting to the life I have created for myself here in Seattle would be easy.   My bags remain packed on the floor.  Subconsciously I want to leave them there.  I want to be ready to pick up and go.  Flee.  Run.  Discover.  Live.  The realistic side of me is just annoyed with the mess.  Maybe I will unpack tomorrow.

Day 9,407.  Mickey Hart said it right at the end of the festival, “if everyday could be like this, what a wonderful world we would live in”.