He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. ~Friedrich Nietzsche
Dancing naked in the rain is a metaphor and best sums up my approach to life-most times. I say most times as I, like many, do have times where I would rather crawl under the bed and hide from civilization.
Those days are getting farther apart. Maybe it’s because I am getting older that things don’t bother me as much any more. Dancing naked in the rain - let your thoughts be known, dream big, express yourself, let nothing get in the way and always enjoy life in the process, is my mantra now. I use to worry endlessly about the one person out of 100 that disliked my attitude or did not understand my intentions. I now know to focus my energy, and thoughts on the 99 and let the other “come around” or not.
I talk a lot about my Yankee upbringing and my approach to life that has some Southerners wincing at my attempts at it. I seem to be always in 5th gear, no slowing down or else I get the feeling I may just wither away.......
........and be gone forever.
I have a profound need of urgency to complete things, many things, all things
Let’s take a to look inward
So when I ask myself the age old question…What will be my mark on life? I think and can honestly say, I don’t know yet,maybe that’s not even the point. I am currently involved in and have experienced many things. It’s like I am running from the inevitable,not to escape, because I know that's not possible. But running to accomplish many things before time runs out.
trying to pack in as much of life’s joys in every second of my day. This can be very pleasing at times, but also very stressful to some. I am told to relax at home and work or anywhere else there is human contact. Some people take my need to experience what life has to offer right down to the molecules, as a bad thing, a stressful thing. I look at it as trying to enjoy it all, while I can.
I don’t think I am an exhibitionist……………….
But I do feel the need to “let it all out” ..... now! Express myself in ways I haven’t before. Writing (this blog) Photography and the Variety Show mentioned below and in mostly everything I do. I have a deep need to experience as much as I can. I am always thinking about taking long car trips and stopping off at all the little towns across the way to experience the town and talk to the local people. To go into local cafe's & diners and feel the warmth of a cup of coffee served in a old school porcelain cup.
My dancing naked in the rain mood is sometimes stoked with the visual and audio arts. Some things just leave me breathless and thinking. Take music and the movies for instance.If you were to ask me what are my most favorite movies besides the classics? I would submit to you the following movies and sountrack:
Baghdad Cafe-catch the theme song here
And..
Paris Texas-this instrumental bye Ry Cooder is simple yet compelling to me
The movie and the soundtrack of these movies hits a cord with me. They enter a part of me that is wanting, a longing a calling for something that I have not yet figured out.
Some may say that the movie Paris Texas is depressing, But I look at it as a persons attempt to come back from the brink, his longing for the past, but realization that he needs to move on and not get lost in life’s struggles.
The mind works in mysterious ways:
I do wear my heart on my sleeve most times, but that has not kept me from experiencing pure happiness in many things that I do in life. Nobody is perfect in anything that they do, but we learn to adapt to make things better. Take for instance my once fear of being stuck in a traffic jam on a large bridge (like the Tobin bridge in Boston)…
….. How did I get over this fear? I promised myself that if I did get to a point of panic in these situations, that I would open the car door, get out and dance in the face of the traffic jam...........Rain or no rain!
just the thought of this little dance in my head helped alleviate the problem. I don't have this fear anymore.
There is greatness and a story in everything in life we see and feel. To give you an idea of how my brain works (not too complicated) and how I am truly dancing naked in the rain with my camera in hand: I have taken a few of my photographs and have posted them below with the title of the photograph and a line of what I saw in the subject.What a great way to express yourself. Photography is a great window to ones mind.
Forbidden: Some people see this and feel excluded, my vision was more in terms of what I need to work towards to get to “the other side” nothing is more exciting than a challenge.
Day of Rest: Double meaning
Chair: The chair has had it-too tired to keep up road side appearances and has decided to say Fuc&* it, I am going to relax.
Bring it on: My feelings exactly-Dance in the rain baby!
Pathway: Where my thoughts go when I listen to some of the music I posted above
Survivor: There is hope for all-even a branch in the water
Self Image: Everything has one, especially on a sunny day :-)
love: Conquers all
Strong: Strong
On the outside looking in: Ever feel this way?
Faded Glory: Some people viewed this photograph and said it makes them think that this country is fading. I said no, what I see is a country that can endure!
One day I said to a photography friend of mine, hey, lets put on an art show of our photographs at a local museum,Invite the public, serve wine and cheese play some new age music and have a blast! why not?..We did and it was fun:
I have always been a cup is half full sort of guy........
.....always believing no matter what the problem, it will be resolved in the end. Or that if you want to do something that is a form of expression...go and dance baby! set your mind to it and it will get done.
Take for instance a thought I had that came out of an every day converstation. I had a conversation with my family on how poor today’s TV shows were. So I told them I would do my part and would do something about it. LOL! What the heck am I gonna do? So what did I do? I Produced, directed, was the stage hand and after show cleanup guy and bottle washer for a variety show entitled “Variety show for America”
Check out my you tube promo of the show here.
This was my direct response to the bug eating reality shows that were all over the TV a few years back. People constantly ask me even today-why did you do that?-my answer, always-Because I wanted to. At the time, I felt big band music in my soul and wanted to share
In my mind, thinking about dancing naked in the rain, makes me feel content and free to think and do as I please, all the while knowing I am trying my best to leave something good behind. Something when looked at in the future, would have a person say, "well, he really enjoyed life, get the umbrella Martha, we are going dancing"
Tell me about your Dancing naked in the rain moments..............
