Burning Man Metamorphosis, 2019
The elusive Burning Man. Another bucket list item that collected dust for as long we can remember, is now “Done and Dusted.”
The experience is unlike any other and frankly, difficult to explain. Although cliché, attending Burning Man was absolutely life-changing. One could say that Metamorphoses (plural on purpose) were a given and an understatement. It is not as though I came back a completely different person, rather, I came back as a better me with a renewed sense of joy, a creative spark that has been reignited, and a sense that this life we live every day is finite. In some strange sense, I was faced with a realization, perhaps a wake-up call of sorts, that this one fantastic life I am living doesn’t have to be restricted.
Burning man is the epitome of a creative life well lived. (It’s OK to let that sink in a little.) It is a concentrated version of all possibilities that are found in life, yet magnified and condensed into one week of pure exhilaration. In a sense, it is like a buffet of choices laid out in front of you. Only at this buffet, no one will comment on how many times you have gone back for “seconds” or how “full” you stacked your plate. (Now, we’re talkin’.) Rather, at this buffet, it is expected that you go back for as much as you can handle and with as much variety as your heart desires.
Burning Man has given me a renewed sense of life and rejuvenated a part of me that needed a good kick start. Paradoxically, it has also made me frustrated with the “default world” (aka the real world) outside of the neon and cosmic energy of Black Rock City. What I realize now more than ever is the irony that a large group of people choose to congregate in the middle of what would by all intents and purposes be considered “nowhere” in order to create a type of utopian society for a week. A society full of immeasurable kindness, selfless giving, abundant creativity, self-expression without censorship, reckless abandon (for some), and an energy of love and compassion unrivaled by our “normal” society.
Instead, we dusted ourselves off and “re-entered” the default world where sometimes people are themselves, yet not without the whispers of an unprovoked opinion from whomever may be watching them. God forbid people would be able to wear what they want, love who they want, and BE who they want. I am convinced more than ever that deep down, there are Playa Virgins waiting to feel the magnificence that IS Burning Man, but true to form, will allow themselves to be too scared to actually go and experience it for themselves. It is easier to stay in a rut and stay in “our lane” than it is to ask ourselves what we really want out of our lives. It is easier to cast stones, without regard for the ripple effect that ensues, than to accept others for who they are. Let’s face it, accepting others and their “abnormalities” would mean we would have to accept that we too are somewhat abnormal. In our cookie cutter society, abnormal makes people uncomfortable. Well, news flash: we’re all a shade of Gray, a little wacky, a little “outside the lines.” So, get uncomfortable long enough to figure out what YOU want, what YOU like, and for the love-of-the-trees, if YOU want to be a Burner Virgin, do it!
If being “Done and Dusted” is not your scene, no worries; just do your friends a favor and check your judging at the door when a group of dusted virgins want to share their experiences with you! Instead, listen to their stories and be witness to the “childlike wonder” that radiates from them. When they float away, I challenge you to go find what makes YOU happy, free of judgement and free of excuses. After all, this is your life to live, so damn it, what are you waiting for?!
Until we meet again, Burning Man. xoxo
Navig8ing Her! 