Musica universalis

I am home. A long road trip is in the books. Of course, for road warriors on active duty, that is, not retired, this is standard fair. And I sympathize. I remember the days of living out of a suitcase. Long hours. No sleep. Hit or miss food. A little too much alcohol. All offset, at least for me, by the job, the work, the point of the whole thing, plus the chance to see a new city, a new country, and meet new people. It’s exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time.

That’s how I feel today. Exhilarated and exhausted after my second trip to the mountains of New Mexico and the Red River Songwriter’s Festival. I made new friends, solidified old friendships, heard a lot music, made a little music, ate good food, drank good gin, marveled at the mountains, felt braced against the cold, bought a fine leather jacket and a cool pair of shades. It was all good. Now I’m home. That’s good too.

There will be another trip later this month to the wilds of West Texas. We will camp in trailers and hike the wilderness. It will be a different sort of trip but exhilarating none the less. I am looking forward to it. There will be long walks in the woods and through the mountains with good friends, letting the beauty of creation surge through us, playing the music of the spheres as we get ourselves in balance with the natural world from which we sprang and will eventually return.

John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale