I seem to have writer's block of some sort or other, can't get anything new going musically, no spark. But I guess that's OK; it will be there when it's there. Perhaps part of the problem is the fact that I've got this laptop along on the trip so it's too easy to get lost in podcast land or Facebook land rather than delve into Glauber land. And that's OK too, why judge, just roll.
I've been on the ground here for about 9 days and it's really nice to be back in Chiangmai. Feels comfortable and welcoming. The first part of the trip is about shedding the excess poundage from US living and from a long trip over the Pacific. And once again, it's happening, thanks to a lot of walking, low food intake and some strenuous yoga on a daily basis. I bought a 10 series card at the studio around the corner and I'm loving it. This morning I'll go for my fifth Vinyasa session, and I can feel the results, the strengthening in my core, the increased ease of keeping up. Mostly what I love is the fact that for that hour, I'm working as hard as I can.
Working as hard as I can is not my normal state; I suppose some people manage to do that for a great percentage of their waking hours, but it's never been my style. Too distracted perhaps, too lazy maybe, too social, who knows? But on the occasions when I give my all, such as on last year's Same Same recording project, it's quite gratifying. So for one hour in the morning I'm giving all I have to give. And when I'm playing music, I give it all, which reminds me of a little story....
A couple years ago at Holiday Market, I was playing the kids set, had a big crowd and it was rocking. But I was feeling slightly light-headed. I had just been down on the floor in front of the stage with my accordion, getting kids moving, dancing, playing with scarves etc, and then I came back onstage to sing the last number. I said to Kim, who is the stage manager and a dear friend, 'Hey I'm a little faint, if I pass out you can tell the EMTs that he was feeling lightheaded before he crashed'. It was half serious, but I did want to let her know that physically, I wasn't all there. She said, 'you don't have to do it', and I responded, 'Yeah, like I could stop...' And that statement was a true reflection of how it feels when I'm performing. Total commitment, especially to kids. Yeah, like I could stop.
And just writing that gives me a surge of good energy, which is why I need to write and tap into something deeper than surfing the internet or listening to a podcast. The juice is inside, find it!
There is a skinny, young waitress who works the morning shift at the restaurant downstairs at the Guesthouse where I'm staying. She's sweet. I mentioned that wow it would be nice if the background music wasn't playing all the time, ya know, so a guy could think or something, and she turned it down, then off, which was extremely sweet of her. (Maybe because I tip her every time I have a coffee?) But it's so appreciated. Background music sucks, more distraction. I can see having this place as a writing venue for an hour in the early morning before the guests roll out of bed. I'm always up early and this is delightful. Ahhhhh.
