steps...stages...eras...these all pieces of liner time that have a beginning and end, and sometimes fit into a larger picture or probably more accurately, a puzzle. And so, that is what this week will be, then end of an era...a step in my stages of life...an event that will simultaneously end one part of my life and begin another.
6 years
That's 72 months...or 2,190 days...or 52,560 hours (hooray...I can do simple maths!) That's the amount of time I have spent in the circus life...living, breathing, and growing in that lifestyle. When I drove the 2000+ miles to join up with the show playing Montana in August of 2005, I knew I was in for a wild ride, but had no idea of just how wild it would be...sure, numbers are numbers, but it is interesting look back and realize that I've played roughly 2,100 2 hour shows for over 2 million people in this time. Most certainly not as much as Merle Evans, but more than your average working trumpet player I'd say. In so many ways I've been blessed...since I graduated college in 2004 I've worked professionally in both degrees that I earned. Of the jobs and friendships that have resulted from that expensive piece of paper...all have influenced me and become part of the tapestry that is my life as a 30 year old single male (who likes long motorcycle rides on the beach). We are all the sum of the events in our lives, but it is what we do with those events that determine who we are...that determines our sense of self, ethics, and place as a human being on this planet. Some one asked me last week what was the biggest thing I have gained from this intense 6 year life experience...and after thinking about it, I said, and still feel, it's perspective. I've been to most of the US states, have driven most of this country's interstate system, have listened to hundreds of its people, and have parked/slept/practiced on a good handful of its Walmart parking lots. So what does this perspective mean to me as I move forward?
Life is about story
Everyone has a story...if you take the time to sit down with mechanic in rural mississippi and ask him about his dog, you'll learn about his life. If you ask the stripper doing laundry in the middle of missouri about her town, you will hear her life. We ALL have a story, the faces that we pass every day are but the tips of the iceberg of the pain, passion, triumph, or sacrifice that lies beneath the surface. And it's the power of those stories to transform us and change the way we will write our OWN story tomorrow that is the real meat of experience. Listen, engage, grow, feed, and BE...these are threads of my own tapestry. This 6 years has taught me to listen better and realize that not all is at is seems. I have realized that not all people in positions of power or knowledge really know as much as their position implies, and more importantly that most people are afraid. Afraid to take a risk, afraid to fail, afraid to offend, and afraid to be themselves. And so, as I move on to the next stage/step/era/ I'm jumping off into the delicious unknown...opening my arms to embrace the adventures that await and seek those relationships that will influence the next era in my life's story...my legacy
6 years
That's 72 months...or 2,190 days...or 52,560 hours (hooray...I can do simple maths!) That's the amount of time I have spent in the circus life...living, breathing, and growing in that lifestyle. When I drove the 2000+ miles to join up with the show playing Montana in August of 2005, I knew I was in for a wild ride, but had no idea of just how wild it would be...sure, numbers are numbers, but it is interesting look back and realize that I've played roughly 2,100 2 hour shows for over 2 million people in this time. Most certainly not as much as Merle Evans, but more than your average working trumpet player I'd say. In so many ways I've been blessed...since I graduated college in 2004 I've worked professionally in both degrees that I earned. Of the jobs and friendships that have resulted from that expensive piece of paper...all have influenced me and become part of the tapestry that is my life as a 30 year old single male (who likes long motorcycle rides on the beach). We are all the sum of the events in our lives, but it is what we do with those events that determine who we are...that determines our sense of self, ethics, and place as a human being on this planet. Some one asked me last week what was the biggest thing I have gained from this intense 6 year life experience...and after thinking about it, I said, and still feel, it's perspective. I've been to most of the US states, have driven most of this country's interstate system, have listened to hundreds of its people, and have parked/slept/practiced on a good handful of its Walmart parking lots. So what does this perspective mean to me as I move forward?
Life is about story
Everyone has a story...if you take the time to sit down with mechanic in rural mississippi and ask him about his dog, you'll learn about his life. If you ask the stripper doing laundry in the middle of missouri about her town, you will hear her life. We ALL have a story, the faces that we pass every day are but the tips of the iceberg of the pain, passion, triumph, or sacrifice that lies beneath the surface. And it's the power of those stories to transform us and change the way we will write our OWN story tomorrow that is the real meat of experience. Listen, engage, grow, feed, and BE...these are threads of my own tapestry. This 6 years has taught me to listen better and realize that not all is at is seems. I have realized that not all people in positions of power or knowledge really know as much as their position implies, and more importantly that most people are afraid. Afraid to take a risk, afraid to fail, afraid to offend, and afraid to be themselves. And so, as I move on to the next stage/step/era/ I'm jumping off into the delicious unknown...opening my arms to embrace the adventures that await and seek those relationships that will influence the next era in my life's story...my legacy
3 comments:
Well said! I think we're living in parallel universes, discovering the same things at the same time in different places while gearing up for a new chapter. Best of luck to you with your new adventure! Keep learning and growing! :)
Nathan,
You have as much a gift with words as you do with your camera..of course, being in somewhat the same position for a while, I have a somewhat skewed way of reading them. What we've been and done with pur a unique spin on your relationship with real life. Embrace that spin and continue to enjoy with your whole being.
I wish you the very best
Barb D
can't type this morning. I meant to say "what we've done will put a unique spin"
Sheesh
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