Sleepy time in the middle of the day, I've taken a Pilates class, done the crossword and gone shopping. Now I could fall asleep, since I didn't get enough shut eye last night, but I'll hold off for a few minutes and see if there's anything cooking inside my brain. pause pause, nope, nothing there, goodnight. (he said facetiously)
I've had a busy few weeks, lots of performances in far-flung regions, and I've been pretty happy with the results. But the thing that is really turning my crank lately (so to speak), is the time I've been putting in on piano. And in fact, when I look ahead at the schedule for the next few weeks, the gig that excites me the most is a 10am slot at Saturday Market, at which I'll play many of the originals that I'm working on now.
It's a gig that will pay me maybe $50, but it obviously isn't about the money, more about the essence of what I've been doing all these years. I think I have resigned myself to the reality that I'm not going to be a famous guy on a big scale, not going to do a lot of touring or marketing or producing or merchandising or any other 'ing' that we'd care to introduce. For whatever reasons, it's simply not in my DNA or my will to go that route. I realize that this admission could easily be viewed as self-defeating, self-limiting etc, and that is undoubtedly true, if one chooses to think in those terms. If the world is viewed as a Tony Robbins canvas in which our job is to be a world beater, super fit, super accomplished, super super super, than I'm sure that I would be very depressed by my lack of production. God knows I can make that case....
But what if Tony Robbins isn't the standard? What if all the noise on TV and radio and internet and facebook is just so much distraction? What's left? What's right? I'm thinking about the homeless guy who I pass most mornings on my way into town. If I catch the red light and am stopped in front of him, I'll reach into the change drawer and fish out a buck or so. If I just drive past, I make it a point to look at him and nod my head in acknowledgment, as if to say, 'I see you, I respect you, you are a human being'. He always gives a wave in response, and my guess is that it's important to make that connection and share that moment. It's more important than the money, that's my guess anyhow. (He might have a very different opinion about it, but my sense is that a look in the eye is a valuable commodity)
And maybe there's some connection to music in that simple interaction. I have all these songs I've written over the years. A number of them are very good, little works of art, with a lot of craft applied in the creation. That's right, they're my little arts and crafts projects of a lifetime. They are mostly autobiographical so in total, they are a self portrait that goes through time. They are not a boxed set, though it's tempting to put the best ones together into a collection. And when I'm gone, if someone wants to listen and know who I was, here ya go, it's in the music. Like Dan Bern said, 'And if you judge me tonight, judge me by the songs I write, that's all I am to you' from his song 'Black Tornado'.
My sense, (or is it my rationalization), is that there is high value in the art itself. Whether it makes a lot of money or notoriety is likely secondary to the art itself. It's nice for it to be heard and appreciated, and I think I'll invite a bunch of folks to come down and listen to 45 minutes of the Glauber songbook. Hopefully they'll have the ability to just enjoy, not have to chatter too much, just 'lend me their ears' for 3/4 of an hour. If it happens, great, and if not, there's still a great deal of pleasure in getting ready to share it. I've been breaking out some of the old songs, changing things up in some of them, and creating a 'this is my life' soundtrack for the good folks at Saturday Market. Since it's not a 'kids set', which is my norm down there, I don't have to get the kids jumping up and down. Instead I get to play my version of songs in the key of life... Looking forward to it, and to the process beforehand. Simple pleasures....
The leopard and his spots.....
As in, 'the leopard can't change its spots'.... I had an experience today that was so reminiscent of past similar experiences, well one at least, and that phrase jumped into my brain. It had to do with the fact that now is the time to go ahead and buy a ticket to Asia if I'm really going to spend next winter there, and did I really want to take that step? Because it feels like a big one.
So a few days ago, I began researching some possible flights on Priceline, but I found that I didn't feel ready to make the commitment. Because doing so feels tantamount to saying, 'I'm checking out of here, I'm rejecting that whole notion of planning for the future, getting my ducks in a row, building whatever portfolio, or business or web presence or press packet or etc etc etc... all of the shoulds that I don't do anyhow, but haven't been willing to really let go of. As if one day I might become a different person who is oriented that modern way.
The alternative is more mysterious and adventurous, maybe riskier, certainly more original (or is it?) and I found that at first blush, I wasn't willing to let go of the path of the 'should'. Not that I would seriously take a bunch of steps to live that way, but rejecting it feels significant, at least at the moment.
So today, I went ecstatic dancing, visited my friend Jack, and then got the idea to go back online and see about that ticket. See if the price had changed, see if I had changed? Priceline is pretty cool and convenient because when I went to the site, I could immediately retrieve the previous search, and there it was. A lower fare, from Eugene, no less, a good itinerary 22 hours and I'm in Bangkok, two easy layovers and boom, I'm there.
Return flights not as convenient, longer layovers but not too bad. Total round trip price $1204.00 Eugene-Seattle-Seoul-Bangkok. Return the same way. I chose a return on March 7, which is 4 months after the lift off. That's quite a window of time in Asia..... if I were to buy it.
And now, here's where the leopard comes in. Most people would consider the pros and cons, take some time to evaluate, plan, (I mis-typed 'play' for 'plan', and I'd call that the proverbial 'Freudian slip'. Where was I? Yeah, most serious minded people would consider carefully the ramifications of both choices and then make an informed decision.
Me? I clicked on 'purchase ticket' in about 3 seconds. It's not rational, it's about some other kind of trust in the universe and in myself, I suppose.
Brings back the time when I was 25 years old, just returned from a year and a half abroad in Europe and Israel. I enrolled in Skidmore College's University Without Walls and was going to begin classes in January. But it was only the 1st of December so I had a month to kill, or rather 'enjoy' before settling in for an upstate New York winter. (What was I thinking?). I went to see my great friends Howie and Jane and their sons down in the Florida Keys, because, seriously people, December is a lot nicer there than in New York.
I was hanging with my peeps, I met a woman, got some scabies from the funky bedding, did some sailing with Howie, drank Cuban coffee and listened to a lot of Bob Marley and the Wailers. Around Christmas I called my family in New York and heard the news that my brother Bob had 'borrowed' my car, wrecked it in the snow, and I'd have to get a new set of wheels. I wasn't too angry about it, more philosophical at that moment.
A day later, I ate a hit of LSD (haven't done it since, that was the last time, at age 25), and while under the influence, I was laying back on Howie's boat 'La Buena Onda' (the good vibe), just chillin' with my French Canadian girlfriend du jour. She was talking about something and I asked her to stop for a second... because an idea was taking shape in my brain, and I needed it to continue coming into focus. It was like a circle was forming itself, and when the two sides came together in the whole, I had this flash of 'I'm going to San Francisco'.
I hadn't considered moving to San Francisco, though I had been through there a few years prior. All of a sudden, the idea popped into my head, and that was it. I was heading to San Francisco. No pros and cons, no considering of alternatives, the decision was just done. When I got back to NY and my mom picked me up at the airport, she said something like, 'don't worry, we'll find another car'. I said,'no need, I'm going to San Francisco' She got a real sad look in her eye at that news, some kind of realization that I wasn't going to do it like everyone else, and maybe I wouldn't even finish college. I told her that I could take classes in SF, as it was a 'university without walls' program, and that's what I did.... among other things. But the point of the story is that when it's time to make one of those big decisions, I err on the side of spontaneity, trust, spirit and Vamos. Ticket is purchased for a 4 month odyssey to Asia beginning on November 6. Vamos!
So a few days ago, I began researching some possible flights on Priceline, but I found that I didn't feel ready to make the commitment. Because doing so feels tantamount to saying, 'I'm checking out of here, I'm rejecting that whole notion of planning for the future, getting my ducks in a row, building whatever portfolio, or business or web presence or press packet or etc etc etc... all of the shoulds that I don't do anyhow, but haven't been willing to really let go of. As if one day I might become a different person who is oriented that modern way.
The alternative is more mysterious and adventurous, maybe riskier, certainly more original (or is it?) and I found that at first blush, I wasn't willing to let go of the path of the 'should'. Not that I would seriously take a bunch of steps to live that way, but rejecting it feels significant, at least at the moment.
So today, I went ecstatic dancing, visited my friend Jack, and then got the idea to go back online and see about that ticket. See if the price had changed, see if I had changed? Priceline is pretty cool and convenient because when I went to the site, I could immediately retrieve the previous search, and there it was. A lower fare, from Eugene, no less, a good itinerary 22 hours and I'm in Bangkok, two easy layovers and boom, I'm there.
Return flights not as convenient, longer layovers but not too bad. Total round trip price $1204.00 Eugene-Seattle-Seoul-Bangkok. Return the same way. I chose a return on March 7, which is 4 months after the lift off. That's quite a window of time in Asia..... if I were to buy it.
And now, here's where the leopard comes in. Most people would consider the pros and cons, take some time to evaluate, plan, (I mis-typed 'play' for 'plan', and I'd call that the proverbial 'Freudian slip'. Where was I? Yeah, most serious minded people would consider carefully the ramifications of both choices and then make an informed decision.
Me? I clicked on 'purchase ticket' in about 3 seconds. It's not rational, it's about some other kind of trust in the universe and in myself, I suppose.
Brings back the time when I was 25 years old, just returned from a year and a half abroad in Europe and Israel. I enrolled in Skidmore College's University Without Walls and was going to begin classes in January. But it was only the 1st of December so I had a month to kill, or rather 'enjoy' before settling in for an upstate New York winter. (What was I thinking?). I went to see my great friends Howie and Jane and their sons down in the Florida Keys, because, seriously people, December is a lot nicer there than in New York.
I was hanging with my peeps, I met a woman, got some scabies from the funky bedding, did some sailing with Howie, drank Cuban coffee and listened to a lot of Bob Marley and the Wailers. Around Christmas I called my family in New York and heard the news that my brother Bob had 'borrowed' my car, wrecked it in the snow, and I'd have to get a new set of wheels. I wasn't too angry about it, more philosophical at that moment.
A day later, I ate a hit of LSD (haven't done it since, that was the last time, at age 25), and while under the influence, I was laying back on Howie's boat 'La Buena Onda' (the good vibe), just chillin' with my French Canadian girlfriend du jour. She was talking about something and I asked her to stop for a second... because an idea was taking shape in my brain, and I needed it to continue coming into focus. It was like a circle was forming itself, and when the two sides came together in the whole, I had this flash of 'I'm going to San Francisco'.
I hadn't considered moving to San Francisco, though I had been through there a few years prior. All of a sudden, the idea popped into my head, and that was it. I was heading to San Francisco. No pros and cons, no considering of alternatives, the decision was just done. When I got back to NY and my mom picked me up at the airport, she said something like, 'don't worry, we'll find another car'. I said,'no need, I'm going to San Francisco' She got a real sad look in her eye at that news, some kind of realization that I wasn't going to do it like everyone else, and maybe I wouldn't even finish college. I told her that I could take classes in SF, as it was a 'university without walls' program, and that's what I did.... among other things. But the point of the story is that when it's time to make one of those big decisions, I err on the side of spontaneity, trust, spirit and Vamos. Ticket is purchased for a 4 month odyssey to Asia beginning on November 6. Vamos!
On the Road Again
2pm in Lyons, Oregon, one hour before another small town library performance. I'm feeling really good, in spite of the fact that I'm running on fumes, well not exactly fumes, more like sugar and caffeine, courtesy of an iced mocha that I grabbed while gassing up in Salem.
I got maybe three hours sleep last night, thanks to another great night at the weekly blues jam. I got to play the last set, and it was a unique one, with a few people whom I had never played with. This tall black thirty something dude was on keys, and I heard that he wanted to sing Billie Jean, by Michael Jackson, and did I know it? Of course I knew the tune, but had never played it, so I told him I was a quick study, and if he showed me the bass line, I'd lay it down. I got it in about 10-15 seconds, learned the bridge in the same amount of time, so we were ready to rock out.
It was a pretty cool scene due to the fact that that song has likely never been played at Quackers, and the dance floor filled up immediately as soon as we kicked it off. There were two young buck guitarists on the set as well as a female drummer who had never played there before, and we RAWKED! It was truly blazing. And then the keyboard guy wanted to sing that Stevie song 'Superstition', and it was the same deal.... he needed to show me the bass line real quick and then boom, we were off. What a freakin' blast to be on stage doing those songs with some great rhythm players to bounce off of. Usually the vibe is heavily oriented toward 12 bar old time blues, but on this night, it was more rocked out, and the place was humpin' and bumpin'. Hard to describe how pleasurable it is to lay down the funky bass, alter it as needed, and just groove like that. Ahhhhh beep beep.
The second half of the set was with a different drummer, some guy named Rick Cobian, beret wearing dude who Ray said was an awesome drummer. I could tell that he had a lot of Latin chops and the best thing was this boogaloo thing we did late at night on a minor blues progression, where I played salsa style bass, heavily syncopated, lots of accent on beat 8 of the phrase, which fit perfectly with his style of playing. I swear I could jam for hours on that groove. It's in the blood, and a real nice place to hang out and let the solists do their thing. The dance floor was really into it. Yes, another 'best night ever' at the blues jam.
I got home by 11 or so, had to watch the Daily Show and Colbert, eat some food, couldn't sleep and had an early wake-up call for a trip north, so there wasn't a whole lot of sleeping going on, but I don't care too much. As long as I make it through this second show, I'm good to go, then I have about and hour and a half drive back home. I have a feeling I'll get some decent sleep tonight.
Haven't written in a while, since the Country Fair a couple of weeks ago, and it's been a real good period of time for me. For starters, the fair was phenomenal, perfect weather, lots of friends, great times, a couple of great 'Kids Talent Shows' which is my gig, and then getting to hang with good friends, eat great food, see some amazing talent and just enjoy the fair, which to my mind is one of the wonders of the world. I've been going there for decades, usually with a camping pass, which makes all the difference in the world. We get treated really well and it's truly the party of the year, something of a bacchanal, and it takes a few days to recover, but it's well worth it. This year was likely the 'best fair ever', temperatures in the mid 70s, paradise in the woods.
I think I've been basically giving myself a break from self-criticism and self-loathing, and it's been a much needed respite. I've had plenty of work, which certainly helps, and I find that I'm really enjoying my friends a lot, spending some quality time with my son (Mr 'Sleep til noon'), but hey it's his life.
The thing that's up for me these days is the thought of buying a ticket back to SE Asia for the winter. I feel a little anxiety about it, but I don't worry about the worry. The thing is, if I follow through on my original plan to spend up to 4 months there this winter, it's a significant step as it's saying 'I really don't see my future here in the US'. So rather than do the things that 'normal people' do to prepare for the future, ie build a portfolio, think about retirement (haha), live a linear existence of step one, step two, step three etc, I seem to be casting my fate to the wind, as it were. I'm not quite ready to take that plunge yet, though I have checked fares and itineraries and will do so again in the near future. It feels inevitable, but I'm not quite there yet.... close though.... I'm just getting in touch with the feelings of stepping out of US mind frame and into something less provincial. Soon come....
Time to load in my stuff and get ready to play for the good folks of Lyons, OR. I had a great set this morning in Falls City, a little bit west of Salem, and now I'm the same distance east of the capital, which makes it a nice little circle around Oregon. It's a good day, a chance to make some good money and spread some positive energy around.... Gratitude now sleep later.
I got maybe three hours sleep last night, thanks to another great night at the weekly blues jam. I got to play the last set, and it was a unique one, with a few people whom I had never played with. This tall black thirty something dude was on keys, and I heard that he wanted to sing Billie Jean, by Michael Jackson, and did I know it? Of course I knew the tune, but had never played it, so I told him I was a quick study, and if he showed me the bass line, I'd lay it down. I got it in about 10-15 seconds, learned the bridge in the same amount of time, so we were ready to rock out.
It was a pretty cool scene due to the fact that that song has likely never been played at Quackers, and the dance floor filled up immediately as soon as we kicked it off. There were two young buck guitarists on the set as well as a female drummer who had never played there before, and we RAWKED! It was truly blazing. And then the keyboard guy wanted to sing that Stevie song 'Superstition', and it was the same deal.... he needed to show me the bass line real quick and then boom, we were off. What a freakin' blast to be on stage doing those songs with some great rhythm players to bounce off of. Usually the vibe is heavily oriented toward 12 bar old time blues, but on this night, it was more rocked out, and the place was humpin' and bumpin'. Hard to describe how pleasurable it is to lay down the funky bass, alter it as needed, and just groove like that. Ahhhhh beep beep.
The second half of the set was with a different drummer, some guy named Rick Cobian, beret wearing dude who Ray said was an awesome drummer. I could tell that he had a lot of Latin chops and the best thing was this boogaloo thing we did late at night on a minor blues progression, where I played salsa style bass, heavily syncopated, lots of accent on beat 8 of the phrase, which fit perfectly with his style of playing. I swear I could jam for hours on that groove. It's in the blood, and a real nice place to hang out and let the solists do their thing. The dance floor was really into it. Yes, another 'best night ever' at the blues jam.
I got home by 11 or so, had to watch the Daily Show and Colbert, eat some food, couldn't sleep and had an early wake-up call for a trip north, so there wasn't a whole lot of sleeping going on, but I don't care too much. As long as I make it through this second show, I'm good to go, then I have about and hour and a half drive back home. I have a feeling I'll get some decent sleep tonight.
Haven't written in a while, since the Country Fair a couple of weeks ago, and it's been a real good period of time for me. For starters, the fair was phenomenal, perfect weather, lots of friends, great times, a couple of great 'Kids Talent Shows' which is my gig, and then getting to hang with good friends, eat great food, see some amazing talent and just enjoy the fair, which to my mind is one of the wonders of the world. I've been going there for decades, usually with a camping pass, which makes all the difference in the world. We get treated really well and it's truly the party of the year, something of a bacchanal, and it takes a few days to recover, but it's well worth it. This year was likely the 'best fair ever', temperatures in the mid 70s, paradise in the woods.
I think I've been basically giving myself a break from self-criticism and self-loathing, and it's been a much needed respite. I've had plenty of work, which certainly helps, and I find that I'm really enjoying my friends a lot, spending some quality time with my son (Mr 'Sleep til noon'), but hey it's his life.
The thing that's up for me these days is the thought of buying a ticket back to SE Asia for the winter. I feel a little anxiety about it, but I don't worry about the worry. The thing is, if I follow through on my original plan to spend up to 4 months there this winter, it's a significant step as it's saying 'I really don't see my future here in the US'. So rather than do the things that 'normal people' do to prepare for the future, ie build a portfolio, think about retirement (haha), live a linear existence of step one, step two, step three etc, I seem to be casting my fate to the wind, as it were. I'm not quite ready to take that plunge yet, though I have checked fares and itineraries and will do so again in the near future. It feels inevitable, but I'm not quite there yet.... close though.... I'm just getting in touch with the feelings of stepping out of US mind frame and into something less provincial. Soon come....
Time to load in my stuff and get ready to play for the good folks of Lyons, OR. I had a great set this morning in Falls City, a little bit west of Salem, and now I'm the same distance east of the capital, which makes it a nice little circle around Oregon. It's a good day, a chance to make some good money and spread some positive energy around.... Gratitude now sleep later.
Off to the Country Fair
It's the annual post 4th of July gathering of the dreadlocked tribal masses known as the Oregon Country Fair, an event unlike any other. I'll be leading a kids talent show on one of the stages and that gets me a camping pass for the weekend, food vouchers, some cash and a ticket to one of the great parties ever. So I'll be off the grid until Monday afternoon when I'll return sun baked and stupefied. And off we go.... The weather promises to be sunny, 80 degrees and low humidity. This is why Oregon is the place to be in summer.
Canadian Blues
My snowmobile went through the ice again
I'm gonna miss my cousin.
The Molson is warm, we lost the farm
Tim Horton's screwed up my dozen.
My body's a wreck, I'm back in Quebec
And there's holes in my shoes
Storms coming through, I don't know what to do
My baby's in Saskatchewan Blues
Maybe I should marry that girl from the prairie
But boy, you talk about flat
Now I'm back in Ontario
I was talking bout the prairie, yo
Don't look at me like that
But oh when she lights my candle
It's like she's lighting a fuse
Nothing could be finer than to be in old Regina
My baby's in Saskatchewan Blues
I've been sad in the city, my pad is a pity
I've got to get out soon
Maybe write me a song as I roll along
But I never wrote a Saska tune
I used to be athletic, the Leafs are just pathetic
Why do we always lose
Nothing could be finer
Than to be in old Regina
My Baby's in Saskatchewan blues
I'm gonna miss my cousin.
The Molson is warm, we lost the farm
Tim Horton's screwed up my dozen.
My body's a wreck, I'm back in Quebec
And there's holes in my shoes
Storms coming through, I don't know what to do
My baby's in Saskatchewan Blues
Maybe I should marry that girl from the prairie
But boy, you talk about flat
Now I'm back in Ontario
I was talking bout the prairie, yo
Don't look at me like that
But oh when she lights my candle
It's like she's lighting a fuse
Nothing could be finer than to be in old Regina
My baby's in Saskatchewan Blues
I've been sad in the city, my pad is a pity
I've got to get out soon
Maybe write me a song as I roll along
But I never wrote a Saska tune
I used to be athletic, the Leafs are just pathetic
Why do we always lose
Nothing could be finer
Than to be in old Regina
My Baby's in Saskatchewan blues
Independence Day?
From where I sit, in the middle of the afternoon of a beautiful sunny day, (I mis-typed it as 'sinny day', which immediately flipped me into that Paul Simon song 'It Was a Sunny Day', which could be a funny basis for a parody song about sin). Because the melody is so upbeat, it would contrast nicely with some self revealing confession. And that fits in pretty well with where I'm coming from at the moment. But in this case, the sin would be largely about self-judgment, negative beliefs manifesting themselves into my current reality and sense of well-being. And on this 'independence day', wouldn't it be great to consciously make an important step in the right direction. And I'm in fact, doing that very thing.
It's in the form of a sheet entitled 'One Belief at a Time Worksheet' that is part of Byron Katie's 'The Work'. And the reason I have it is because of a conversation I had at Breitenbush Hot Springs Resort in the Oregon Cascades. I met this French woman named Caroline who was just finishing up a 3 day workshop on 'The Work'. Beautiful woman, there with her husband and two kids, tremendously positive vibe. (Breitenbush attracts a very very high percentage of wonderful people, and she was one).
For some reason, I asked her if she was part of a workshop here, and yes, she was. They are doing Bryon Katie's 'The Work', and I asked her about it. She told me that it was based on asking 'the 4 questions' about a given situation, which in itself is interesting, since 'the 4 questions' is a passover ritual, also about freedom, by the way. Caroline told me the questions, and I was immediately drawn to the concept because of its simplicity and seeming rightness. Here are the questions:
Is it true?
Can You Absolutely Know that it is True?
How do you react? What Happens When You Believe the Thought?
Who Would You Be Without the Thought?
And here is something funny. At the Passover Seder, I made the comment, 'Why are there 5 questions in the 4 questions? Because the start of the Jewish one is 'Why is this night different from all other nights? And then come the 4 specific questions. But it's kind of peculiar that there are really 5 questions. As there are here in these 4 question. Go figure.
As Caroline and I were talking, I got a feeling that this 'work' is something that I need to do, so I spontaneously asked if I could take an example from my life and see how the 4 questions might help me see something in a different way. She was very willing to spend a few minutes with me, so we began. I wanted to explore the recurring theme that I have that I should be more than I am, should do more, accomplish more etc.
In the brief time that we spoke, I felt stuff stirring in a new way, or at least in some kind of a structure that felt very profound. So now I'm back from the mountains, and have downloaded a questionnaire from Byron Katie's great website. It's very generous and wonderful, as she is clearly sharing this thing with the world. I'm excited to spend some time with the worksheet and make some kind of ritual out of an under-ritualized holiday IMHO. The 4th of July has been devolved into some kind of flashy fireworks show, bombs bursting in air crap, and wow, I think it could be better cast as a remembrance to find the independence that will serve you and free you from whatever bondage you've created. At least that's how this Hebrew sees it.
(I made this friend Andrew Wysocki in Chiang Mai, a 32 year old dude from New Jersey, great sense of humor and totally funny to be around. He cracked me up on a regular basis, and therefore was a natural to hang around the 4 older Jewish guys, Kevin, Harris, Mad Mike and myself. who spent most of our time trying to make each other laugh. Wysocki, who is not Jewish, called us, 'my Hebros'. I'd have used that term in the preceding paragraph but it would have looked like a misprint if I didn't explain it. Now you know).
It's in the form of a sheet entitled 'One Belief at a Time Worksheet' that is part of Byron Katie's 'The Work'. And the reason I have it is because of a conversation I had at Breitenbush Hot Springs Resort in the Oregon Cascades. I met this French woman named Caroline who was just finishing up a 3 day workshop on 'The Work'. Beautiful woman, there with her husband and two kids, tremendously positive vibe. (Breitenbush attracts a very very high percentage of wonderful people, and she was one).
For some reason, I asked her if she was part of a workshop here, and yes, she was. They are doing Bryon Katie's 'The Work', and I asked her about it. She told me that it was based on asking 'the 4 questions' about a given situation, which in itself is interesting, since 'the 4 questions' is a passover ritual, also about freedom, by the way. Caroline told me the questions, and I was immediately drawn to the concept because of its simplicity and seeming rightness. Here are the questions:
Is it true?
Can You Absolutely Know that it is True?
How do you react? What Happens When You Believe the Thought?
Who Would You Be Without the Thought?
And here is something funny. At the Passover Seder, I made the comment, 'Why are there 5 questions in the 4 questions? Because the start of the Jewish one is 'Why is this night different from all other nights? And then come the 4 specific questions. But it's kind of peculiar that there are really 5 questions. As there are here in these 4 question. Go figure.
As Caroline and I were talking, I got a feeling that this 'work' is something that I need to do, so I spontaneously asked if I could take an example from my life and see how the 4 questions might help me see something in a different way. She was very willing to spend a few minutes with me, so we began. I wanted to explore the recurring theme that I have that I should be more than I am, should do more, accomplish more etc.
In the brief time that we spoke, I felt stuff stirring in a new way, or at least in some kind of a structure that felt very profound. So now I'm back from the mountains, and have downloaded a questionnaire from Byron Katie's great website. It's very generous and wonderful, as she is clearly sharing this thing with the world. I'm excited to spend some time with the worksheet and make some kind of ritual out of an under-ritualized holiday IMHO. The 4th of July has been devolved into some kind of flashy fireworks show, bombs bursting in air crap, and wow, I think it could be better cast as a remembrance to find the independence that will serve you and free you from whatever bondage you've created. At least that's how this Hebrew sees it.
(I made this friend Andrew Wysocki in Chiang Mai, a 32 year old dude from New Jersey, great sense of humor and totally funny to be around. He cracked me up on a regular basis, and therefore was a natural to hang around the 4 older Jewish guys, Kevin, Harris, Mad Mike and myself. who spent most of our time trying to make each other laugh. Wysocki, who is not Jewish, called us, 'my Hebros'. I'd have used that term in the preceding paragraph but it would have looked like a misprint if I didn't explain it. Now you know).
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