Bold Enough to Join the Voyage



When reflecting upon my past investments, it has become obvious that I have invested most of my monetaryearnings and a significant amount of time into the experience of live music.  Please, let me explain. 

At an early age, I would go with friend’s parents or take a bus to see concerts at the Bryce Jordan Center at PSU.  I was lucky enough to see the Eagles, Bush, the Smashing Pumpkins just 50 minutes away from my home town of Altoona.  Then when I turned 16 and got my license.  I would take road trips to Pittsburgh’s Star Lake Ampitheather, now called the Post Gazzette Pavilion I believe, and I experienced everything from the Lillith Fair to Jimmy Buffet to the Dave Matthews Band to Lenny Kravitz (my high school heart throb).  

As I became more independent, graduated from college, lived in Spain for a brief three months and then lived in North Carolina, I found myself going on more adventurous musical journeys.  These adventures,  mostly planned by my dear friend Travis, began with a five day tour with Phish.  The first show was in Camden, NJ, then two nights in Toronto, Canada and the final night in Pittsburgh which happened to coincide with my 21st birthday.  

I can’t quite explain the spark that was ignited from this first major musical adventure.  Maybe it was the many smiles of acceptance and words of encouragement I received from total strangers, the freedom to showcase some dance moves that had yet to see the light of day, the makeshift family that sprouted effortlessly from the crew that was bold enough to join the voyage.  What ever it was, it was good and my soul shined brightly with each drum solo.

These experiences that I am describing aren’t held captive by a few.  They are out there open for you and anyone willing to experience them.  Go to an event, a local concert, a weekend get away with live music as the focus, go to a weekend long music festival.  You will find that everyone is called there with the hope of having a similar experience.  That’s the funny thing about hope; it starts as a thought, then becomes action and eventually you find yourself living out your hopes and dreams.

Some go to church, other’s go to the casino, some run.  Me?  I dance.  When I dance, I am free.  Music touches my soul, as I am sure it does for many people.  Music is a major part of religious ceremonies.  When played correctly, the only way to describe it is “Divine”.  

I am fascinated with the divine and I see it all around me, each and every day.  Stay tuned for a future blog on recognizing the divine in every day life.  Keep dancing!