Well met.

.su, originally uploaded by SisterSafetyPin.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity...

The Second Coming | William Butler Yeats

I'm very fortunate to have met so many amazing people in my life at only 22. Actually, I feel amazing is the wrong word. I'm very fortunate to have met so many people that have opened my mind to so many different paths of.... No that's wrong as well.

I am very fortunate. To have met. The people that have made me who I am.

I don't mean family, though they have shaped me significantly. But I mean, the people who make lasting impressions even if the time they spend actually present in your life is fleeting.

My favorite poem is the The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats, the excerpt above is the first stanza. And as a friend and fellow Buddhist leader left my house just now, the line " Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.." came into mind... Even while I still had a smile on my face. And it was ironic, that this, my favorite line in my favorite poem... Would be so bleak and in such direct contrast to my belief in my faith that is... "No matter what, it will work out."

And this lead me to think about the many people in my life that have shaped my views on life... My AP lit professor who first introduced me to Yeats, by way of the book; Things Fall Apart. My different philosophy professors... my friend in Germany... the strangers I've met in my travels and yet had such great conversations on life with... My comrades in faith...

I'm not sure why, my line of thinking was such as it does not directly follow. However, perhaps it was simply that in that moment that I watched her leave and I reflected on: that poem, myself, and my beliefs... I felt so utterly centered in the core of things. The greater scheme, if you will... That I couldn't help but be grateful to the people who'd helped me to this point.

Truly. At times I feel like such a horrible person, as it is... so difficult for me to stay connected even though I do care so much... And I guess in those moments of binary, all I could think was...

Well met.

Random Thoughts Before Bed

Coachella Campgrounds, originally uploaded by SisterSafetyPin.

Isn't it amazing how after seeing a band live just the thought of the experience instantly transplants you back there?

For example, just now I was outside and I started thinking about Muse while standing outside. And just like that, I'm back in the Polo fields dancing to the Resistance with thousands of other strangers. And the awesome thing about that is, that experience will always be with me. Whenever I hear their music my mind will always instantly go back to the Polo fields.

And just as I was listening to the music that only I could hear, dancing with the feel of grass on my feet still very much there... And just like that, the beginning of the song "No Such Thing" by John Mayer pops in my head.

Opening chords leading into, "WELCOME to the real world she said to me...."

It was crazy. Because at first I had to pause. How did I go from Muse's Resistance to John Mayer's No Such Thing?

However, as I continued to think about it became increasingly apparent. And really, it came to me quickly.

I had a conversation with some of my neighbors at Coachella about this.

Experiences are forever. Money, status, degrees? Sure they could last. But on your death bed, which would you rather have? A bank full of money or a lifetime of amazing memories?

For me, the answer is easy. I want to be rich in experience. I want enough money to get by, anything more is an extra bonus.

And in the meantime, I'll keep dancing to the music only I can hear.

Dare

IMG_3560, originally uploaded by SisterSafetyPin.

Coachella is 7 Days away and I have no idea how to properly put to words how I feel.

After all, the Coachella Music and Arts Festival is much more then a music festival. It's an experience. And describing an experience is a bit like describing a mirage. It'll never be quite like the brilliance you see.

And how could it? How could I explain the experience of listening to the bands that will play Coachella, knowing that soon I'll be experiencing it live? How can I explain the feeling of driving past the windmills, knowing that you're almost there? How can I explain the utter brilliance of standing in the campgrounds at sunset, looking around and seeing flags from every country imaginable and knowing everyone there is feeling the same thing? How exactly I describe restless excitement of coming home? Where music reigns supreme and everyone around you simply gets it?

Because, for those like me... The Campers, the die-hards, the people that attend rain or shine, no matter the tragedy experienced through out the rest of the year... Coachella is a breath of fresh air. A moment of sanity in a world of chaos. It's 3 days of music and 4 Days of celebration. A haven.

And just, how does one explain all that?