Our first day of the New Year was a masterpiece of gentle goofing off. No hangovers over here. No crazy-making fun to shake off. You know, what we used to think of as fun, those years of being young, drinking to excess, getting silly & being irresponsible, doing really stupid things with other folks also being really stupid, well, now, that all seems like a bad-faith mirage. Wasted days and times. Who were those people? And what were they thinking?
Yesterday, we were happy and clear-eyed. I was sure to have lots of music spinning on the box, yes, those little silver discs, Beatles music (Past Masters Vol 1 & 2, Revolver, Rubber Soul), so last century, so old world. I always insist to my friend I am not nostalgic in the least, but she doesn't believe me. So much of what I think, and who I am was formed in an earlier time. I don't pine for those days, I just live those influences in the present.
I am one of those folks who believe that what I listen to, the choices I make in music, movies, and books are important, deeply, truly, madly important. So yes, not just idle entertainment, defining choices. They are the building blocks of I what consider to be "me."
I turned to what I consider to be one of the most healing, enthralling albums I own, Sigur Ros' Ágætis byrjun (1999), Icelandic for "new beginning." Yes. I have used this recording as a soundtrack for meditation for years. It's a profound collection of music, no discernable lyrics, pure sound, symphonic, heavenly voices. Beautiful, captivating, sends me on journeys thru the air, propels me into other realms, vivid worlds where spirit rules. Magical, wonderful.
Later we watched one our favorite films, Hustle & Flow (2005) a movie about "a hustler and a pimp," and the folks he enlists to help him in a creative project. Why does it resonate so deeply with my partner and I? It's about a handful of folks trying to create something transendent, bigger than themselves. Common people, up a against a brute reality, an ugly day to day, hustling, trying to make it, but wanting to reach for something better. The music is Rap/Hip-Hop, not our usual thing. But it totally enraptures and captures our hearts and heads. What is the overall theme? As Tom Petty once put it: "Running down a dream."
Yes, It's a powerful film. Funny. Beautiful. Gritty. The acting is exquisite. Every character indelible. People so unlike us, and so very much like us. My companion always says, I mean, it's a running joke between us, "It's about us." Hah!
Yes. Decisive. Defining choices. I finished the day, jumping into another Murakami book, this one a non-fiction, read: "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running," (2007). Yes. It's about running, but also about writing, and getting on with a life. Sort of an autobiography. Another important choice, another foundational brick in the wall of "me."
Yes. A good beginning. First day of 2024...
