I'm so damn happy to be alive right now
Nothing make one appreciate life like a near-death experience. I've never had one before, but I find near-near-death experiences to be pretty effective.
Yesterday, Rob, Aj, and I were headed to Detroit to see Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley band. We were about 10 minutes late, due to the fact that Aj was babysitting his younger brother, and their parents took longer getting home than expected. When we got to the Detroit exit, we found a tanker had exploded there - 10 minutes prior to our arrival. There was fire, and lots of smoke, and a nearby bridge collapsed, and we could have easily been right next to the tanker when it happened.
I've heard that music, specially good live music, is more enjoyable when slightly tipsy. I don't now about that, but I know that good live music is more enjoyable when you realize that there was an enhanced chance that you might not have lived to hear it. Conor's music kind of celebrates being alive, and I found it so easy to enjoy that night. It was so easy to enjoy a serious songwriter with a talented band playing live for us music; one of the most amazing, miraculous things in life, one of the things that makes living a joy for me, even when nothing else is going well.
All sorts of people came out to the show that night. The venue was in one of the most seedy, run-down areas of seedy, run-down Detroit, but judging by the people inside, one couldn't really tell. Old and young, black and white, hipsters and hiphoppers were there, and despite the variety in amounts of dancing or swaying, there were smiles on all faces. One girl had been throwing up in the bathrooms when we arrived, yet near the end of the show I turned around to see her sitting against the wall, a bucket on one side of her, a best friend on the other, and a smile across her face.
As much as I have had times where I want to stop being alive, I really do enjoy existence. It's crazy and strange, and it's quite a marvel that any of us can experience and comprehend all these things that take place in the world. I only have one life, and I don't believe I'm quite done with it yet.
Yesterday, Rob, Aj, and I were headed to Detroit to see Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley band. We were about 10 minutes late, due to the fact that Aj was babysitting his younger brother, and their parents took longer getting home than expected. When we got to the Detroit exit, we found a tanker had exploded there - 10 minutes prior to our arrival. There was fire, and lots of smoke, and a nearby bridge collapsed, and we could have easily been right next to the tanker when it happened.
I've heard that music, specially good live music, is more enjoyable when slightly tipsy. I don't now about that, but I know that good live music is more enjoyable when you realize that there was an enhanced chance that you might not have lived to hear it. Conor's music kind of celebrates being alive, and I found it so easy to enjoy that night. It was so easy to enjoy a serious songwriter with a talented band playing live for us music; one of the most amazing, miraculous things in life, one of the things that makes living a joy for me, even when nothing else is going well.
All sorts of people came out to the show that night. The venue was in one of the most seedy, run-down areas of seedy, run-down Detroit, but judging by the people inside, one couldn't really tell. Old and young, black and white, hipsters and hiphoppers were there, and despite the variety in amounts of dancing or swaying, there were smiles on all faces. One girl had been throwing up in the bathrooms when we arrived, yet near the end of the show I turned around to see her sitting against the wall, a bucket on one side of her, a best friend on the other, and a smile across her face.
As much as I have had times where I want to stop being alive, I really do enjoy existence. It's crazy and strange, and it's quite a marvel that any of us can experience and comprehend all these things that take place in the world. I only have one life, and I don't believe I'm quite done with it yet.