Playa Stories Part 1--Burning Man Turned Me Into A Hippie

True Story. Don't laugh.

I now use words like energy and vibe and mean them.

I believe in infinite love in the universe.
I believe in kindness and the Divine.
I believe that I can make a change.

I believe in myself and others.

And I am glad to believe it all.

I found love on the playa. It's not something that I can classify into romantic or platonic or sexual love--it seems to utterly transcend those categories, possessing none of those qualities and surpassing all. It's a
pure and powerful emotion--raw and real and completely overwhelming. (I should preface this by saying that my affection for this person isn't sexual or romantic, nor is it reciprocated as such. Just an FYI.)

I've only had a taste of this sort of affection and inspiration once before and I found in my best friend from high school, Camille. Camille was and continues to inspire me--should I ever have a daughter, she will be named for her. Without going into the long history that we share, the light, the love, and good works that Camille puts into the world make it an infinitely better place to live. Whenever I do a good deed, I do it in part because I first learned how to give without expectation from her. And even though we no longer speak, I still love her with all of my heart. She's a light in the world that I look to when I become discouraged with the rest. I wish she were still part of my life, but it's enough to know that she's out there soothing the pains and brightening the lives of those she encounters.

I miss you Camille and I love you.

On the playa, we camped next to man named Monk (his playa name--a unique Burning Man phenomenon), he was one of our many incredible neighbors. In our first interaction, he fixed my bike and introduced himself. While Monk is a physically beautiful man, his appeal and his powerful draw come from a distinctly different place. This man radiates a warmth and love that you can't ignore, in fact, I don't think that there was single person that went unaffected in his presence. His constant outpouring of love to everyone he encounters is both overwhelming and obvious and so very beautiful. My affection for him was not jealous, sexual, or frustrated--I simply enjoyed being in his company and delighted in his presence. By example he was proof that we all have an endless capacity for love and kindness--he gave me hope that I might too tap into my own potential for love, kindness, patience, forgiveness, and understanding. He's inspired me to look within and to be the sort of person that I've always wanted to become. I have the strength and I have the power to reveal the better parts of myself. Thank you Monk for helping me see that. Thank you for inspiring me. You may never read these words, but you influenced me profoundly and I love you for it and for you. You're a beautiful, wonderful, amazing man. I feel so blessed to have met you.

I don't have the words to do these emotions justice, but they are real and they are powerful and I'm so happy for the new people in my life.

And those are my silly hippie musings for the evening. I'm turning to the dark side. Granted there were drugs (some), parties (many), booze (in moderation), and boys (I explored my older man fetish) that were had in spades at Burning Man, but it was this interaction that impacted me the most profoundly--the one that I'll take with me far past the Burning Man afterglow.

I found love in the example of another and in my own potential. I am so happy. I am so blessed. Thank you Monk. Thank you world.

And perhaps I'm so cheesy, but I don't care. It's good. Life is good.