Abre Los Ojos

If someone is thinking of you does that make your nose itch?
If they’re talking about you does that make your ears burn?
What about jock-itch? Or rug-burn?
What’s happening elsewhere in the universe to prompt that?

When another tour is nearing its finale, my eyes feel full, generating their own kind of static electricity. It’s a tired feeling. Focus goes in and out. I can no longer make sense of foreign road signs that I can’t make sense of anyway.

For this, I toss my contacts when tours are over. Of course it has everything to do with the lenses being exhausted, but I see it as a way of saying goodbye to the things I’ve seen. A closing ceremony to honor point B. And while two contact lenses don’t amount to much, I prefer to drop some weight from the suitcase before the long flight home. Every ounce counts when your bringing home books y besos for the best friends.

Y’know, sometimes the generosity of another can be quite overwhelming, but it is a good thing to practice receiving. Without people on the receiving end, there would be no givers. Every person is vital to the flow. A friend in need is a friend indeed. If this confuses your humble self, just say thank you and take the present without telling yourself you don’t deserve it. Society has a way of fooling you into feeling small or less-than if you find yourself at the receiving end of someone’s kindness. I have friends that hate when I pay for things. But I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for the kindness of those friends through the years; those who loaned me their cars, allowing me to sleep on their couch for years without paying rent, taking me to movies, feeding me, smoking me out, etc. These days, supporting someone else’s journey is more than my karmic duty. It is my greatest pleasure. Even if my contribution is just one meal, it uplifts me to fill the belly of another to fuel their continued travels. If we all Give what we Get then there will always be plenty for everyone to enjoy at just the right time.

These days I’m still at the gaping end of a horn-o-plenty so it’s easy to share the wealth. The goods just keep falling into my lap. But, while every gift has a good intention it’s hard to accept “stuff” when on the move. I rarely buy “things” on the road. Words and pictures make the best souvenirs for any adventure. Just press a flower into a notebook and call it a day.

Nothing could weigh more than the memory of Bailando con Barcelona, or cold-rocking our music over Madrid, transforming into a spit-sweaty mess to the tune of Olé. No trippy snowglobe could out-satisfy the stains of sold out shows in my shorts. Welcome to Spain. No gift shop required.


Check out the Story of Stuff at StoryofStuff.com. It’s an insightful presentation about how and why “stuff” is made and sold to us over and over again and why we think we need so much of it.

Keep this story in mind come shopping season. Maybe it’ll inspire you to invest your money in friends’ businesses or travels, in community arts programs, local charities, etc. Do it always in the name of those you love and let everyone live a clutter free life, light, and radiating with generosity from all sides of the practice.

Prepared, my eyes are off to Portugal to face off with perhaps the wildest audience this side of the Euphrates.

Question of the Moment:
Does your nose itch?