Trip out west, part II:

So, the plan was for Jan to pick me up in Spokane where we'd attend a show with her 8-year-old son, Gabe, and then swing back to her home in Montana to regroup before heading out on the road. The show was great, to be sure, and was especially fun to see through the eyes of a little boy--awe-struck and out-of-his gourd excited.

Back at Jan's place in the Mission Mountains, we were out on her deck late in the evening taking in the clear Montana sky and wading through where we'd been over the past few months on our respective journeys. Lots of to dos. Lots of head down, get-'er-done energy. Lots of challenge. Lots of raw, emotional stuff.

I mentioned to my friend that what I really wanted to return to is the sense that there is so much more out there than have-tos and obligations.  Somewhere along the way that had been overshadowed.  I threw my head back, spread my arms wide and declared, "The world is full of POSSIBILITIES!" At that moment, a shooting star blazed through the sky right over our heads. No. Lie. Jan and I stared at one another with ever widening grins creeping across our faces. Not sure we could have asked for a more potent signal from the universe.

The beautiful thing: that star caused both of us to shift; it changed our focus. Light and buoyant, open to possibility, we were ready to hit the road.

This is an entry that's both long past due and right on time as well, I suppose.

Hey all! 

Gretchen here, writing to you live from the hotel bathroom floor where I'm holed up while my travel partners sleep.

So this weekend has found Elissa and I in Chicago where we met up with another great friend and have lived some evolution through vacation of our own (the original version, if you will, on a trip to take in Great Big Sea).

It's been perfect--magical and mystifying, expansive and contracted, bold and withdrawn. A gathering of contrasts. Contrasts explored with two of the best friends a girl could ask for.

The Great Big Sea shows themselves = fantastic. Truly, if you have not seen this band, go! Talented musicians all, they are commanding on stage. Fun and engaging, these are not shows to be seen so much as experienced. These two shows at the House of Blues brought out the die-hards from around the country and Canada and made for a very crowded floor where there turned out to be just enough room for vertical movement (which was brilliant for my sprained ankle, earned after a tumble down my icy Minneapolis front steps). 

There were times, though, when space opened up and the crowd faded away and I got my groove on. What I love so much about dancing is that it gets me out of my head (where I spend an inordinate amount of time) and into the rest of my body to experience the music. I used to play instruments, all of which I have left behind. What I remember so distinctly about playing is a zone I would enter when I stepped inside a song. It's a space of flow where doing (causing the instruments to make noise) emanated from being (the connection to the song). Dancing brings me to this space, too. And as someone who lives a lot in their head, it's a welcome shift.

It's been a grand adventure so far. And, as I hear stirring in the other room, I'm reminded we have another day yet to explore before our planes take off this evening. So, off the bathroom floor and out into the city...