everything zen
how fast life can change, right? i was writing about upcoming live shows, recording and travel just 30 days ago and BOOM- here we are in a whole new reality one month later. this pic was taken in provincetown, just days before life changed and it reminds me to stay in the moment, where everything is zen, and the only place joy is ever found.
note the “starry night” background here in this photo… a recurring theme and another reminder that art remains a true north in my life and the lives of so many of us. where and how will art exist and what will change on the other side of “social distancing” is anyone’s guess. our “normal” routines and future planning have been interrupted by something far beyond anyone’s control and understanding. we are in uncharted territory- the whole world, not just our local communities or country or even continent. a “starry night” of possibilities- as there always have been, but now in stark relief as the expected fades from our daily lives and we learn to live in a state of wonder.
the challenge for me in all this has been to open myself to the joy of unknowingness— of abandon to the present and a letting go of the future, of my ego, of my predilection to create goals and plans that reflect my ideas of who i am supposed to be and what i need to accomplish. this is scary stuff. who am i if not those things? what about connecting with audiences and traveling to other communities? am i still who i think i am? what about who i think i am needs to change in light of all this?
i’ve been blessed to be spending this time on a magical farm on boston’s south shore with an enlightened family whose belief system reflects the ideals of my childhood. this has brought me back to my formative times- an important period of development as i ponder these fundamental questions. i’ve been able to share my spirit, companionship, food and work in a utopian environment— getting gardens ready for planting and clearing out winter’s decay while turning the soil for a new season of growth. a time of finding out who i am again without the accomplishments and accoutrements of “normal,” fast-paced, future-based modern life.
i’ve done some new writing, but mostly i’ve been looking at the large catalog of songs written in the last 1/2 of 2019 and early 2020 for a notion of how the new works should be shaped when we go back to record again. i’m letting that picture emerge as it will, and paul, clayton and i will do some “zoom” sessions to discuss the songs and concepts. weird and wonderful.
i found bob dylan’s new track, “murder most foul,” to be a new signpost as many of us look back on 50 years of bob, beatles, and business as usual. the cultural references strike me as a palette painted with the dashed promises of kennedy and a utopian world, which underlay our times with a melancholy many of us have internalized as part of an ongoing, cynical psychic telepathy in our lives and conduct, and in our communications with others. i find this interpretation timely, as things change around us inter-generationally, internationally and inter-racially from what was to the current “normal;” no one is left out and everyone is left out. it’s definitely time to rethink our perspectives and our relations with those around us.
as “heavy” as all this is and can be, the simplicity of a slowed-down life is a gift i’ve been enjoying most of this time. i hope you have found ways to enjoy these changes and i look forward— now, more than ever— to seeing all of you when we come around the curve.
until then, peace and love,
jc