(A carnival shaman, assessing my sickness)
Home again, after several days being gone, visiting friends and family in LA. It feels strange to sit at my desk. I will be leaving again early Thursday morning for Costa Rica. Suddenly there is much traveling in my life. An object at rest, etc.
I don't miss traveling. When I was a dj travel functioned somewhat as a badge of accomplishment. Dj's would discuss where they had been, where they had played, where they preferred. It was an indication of how "in demand" you were, and as such, a reflection of your value as a product, a commodity. But I never truly enjoyed traveling. I like being places, not getting there. Everyone seems to echo the dull sentiment that, "It's not the destination, but the journey." I disagree, sort of. That sentiment is only true when your express intention is to be a traveler, not when you have a destination and a schedule to meet. Wandering is fantastic when life affords you the opportunity to do so, but getting places ceases to be exciting when it is almost all that you do. It is tedious and tiring, ask anybody who has done it for a living.
I go places because that's where I want to be, or that's where I am wanted. If the places between were truly what mattered most then my trip would have been much shorter and I would have just stopped where I was. This is not to say that I haven't seen many incredible things on the way to and from places. There is much incidental joy in traveling.
I get it. The statement concerning the "importance of the journey" is meant to be metaphysical encouragement. I believe Emerson said it. But metaphysics work best when you remove the actualities of life from consideration. Because if the journey is truly more important than the destination, and the people who say that truly mean it, then they would never stop wandering. I've only known a few people in my life who embrace such a life choice.
The truth of the statement rests in its encouragement to enjoy getting there as much as enjoying the accomplishment. I get it. But fuck that. I curse the journey as an evil that is to be endured.
No. I kid.
We had a nice drive down to LA and back. Except for the LA portion of the drive all went smoothly. It was our first family outing and Rhys was stellar, a truly happy baby. It was nice to visit with friends and family from down south. We went to the Orange County Fair on Saturday and had a BBQ at a friend's house the next day. Lots of continuous weekend drinking bookended by long hours driving to and from in 100+ degree weather. When I got home last night I fell into bed and slept for 9 hours. I awoke back in my life at home, thankful to be in my bed, naked.
I will try to write more about the trip later, or perhaps tomorrow, for now there is much to do. Preparations, invocations; blessing my next journey in advance, etc.
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