For those of you who have known me for any length of time, you are probably aware of my bizarre love affair with Bigfoot. Actually, that's technically sasquatch. And also technically, it extends past the sasquatch species to most creatures purposefully categorized within cryptozoology.
As we speak, I am watching a special on the urban legends and research surrounding the idea of "Bigfoot" (sasquatch) in Russian culture.
On more than one occasion, upon discovering this unique love affair of mine, people have shook their heads at me (usually with a smile on their face.) And that's fine.
Less frequently, but not unknown to happen, is that I will get a puzzled look followed by the words "...But you're a Christian."
Well, yes..... Apparently, many people of all sorts of faiths, philosophies, and schools of thought have come to the conclusion that Christians cannot/should not/ do not engage with cryptozoology. And I haven't figured out why. And every time I inquire after this perception, I get just about the same answer. In varying degrees of elegance, the answer usually amounts to "Well... uh, it just makes sense."
Let me clarify. This is no one's fault. I am not upset or distressed by this response. It simply seems curious to me. Because I think frequently the underlying context is "It doesn't seem right." Or it seems like a very "liberal" thing to believe.
I guess that's true.
I was having a conversation one day in college. I have forgotten with whom. But our joke become something like this. "What if God just goes around screwing* with people and every time some pompous vein of humanity thinks they have it all figured out, He creates a new biological anomaly and goes 'Explain that, suckers.'?"
And I quite like that way of looking at it. When people ask me "Why?" I frequently respond with "Why not?"
Why shouldn't I believe that we don't possibly know everything about this large and complex planet on which we stand? Why shouldn't I believe that the human race hasn't discovered everything?
We haven't, you know. Discoveries are being made every day. (I know the article is a little outdated but it addresses everything I wanted to very concisely.)
Of course, I am always up for a good discussion. I love to hear what others have to say in the matter.
But for now, I enjoy the surprise and mystery involved in the telling of sasquatches, mermaids, lake monsters, and small dinos in the Congo River Basin.
<3 your barefoot crypto-craver
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
all the gratitude
This week marks the first week that I don't prepare to return to the Renaissance Festival on the weekend. It means my first year is done. It means I am (technically) no longer a rookie. It means I wait 9-10 months to do it all again.
I cannot show enough gratitude to all of the people, participants and patrons alike, who made the past two months two of the best of my life. I became familiar with so many new faces - and I know that I will meet many more every year. After opening weekend, I told several of my new family that it felt like I came home.
As far as I'm concerned, aside from traveling the 750 miles from here to actually return home, that is the closest to home that I have ever felt.
Soooo all the gratitude to:
-all of the folks who played with me
-anyone who smiled or shook their head every time I belched
-the kind words of encouragement
-those who contributed stories for me to add to my repertoire
-the kinship, hugs and blessings from all (in the last weekend especially)
-those who scolded me when I wasn't eating enough or drinking enough water
-all the children (mentally and physically) who helped me tell my stories for I couldn't do it without you
Maybe from here on out, the wonderment will fade. Perhaps no season will be as magical as this. But I dare to hope that, possibly, bold newness of it all will give way to a unique sense of comfort in the beautifully obscure. And that maybe, someday, I can hand to a rookie all that was handed to me.
Go raibh maith agat.
I cannot show enough gratitude to all of the people, participants and patrons alike, who made the past two months two of the best of my life. I became familiar with so many new faces - and I know that I will meet many more every year. After opening weekend, I told several of my new family that it felt like I came home.
As far as I'm concerned, aside from traveling the 750 miles from here to actually return home, that is the closest to home that I have ever felt.
Soooo all the gratitude to:
-all of the folks who played with me
-anyone who smiled or shook their head every time I belched
-the kind words of encouragement
-those who contributed stories for me to add to my repertoire
-the kinship, hugs and blessings from all (in the last weekend especially)
-those who scolded me when I wasn't eating enough or drinking enough water
-all the children (mentally and physically) who helped me tell my stories for I couldn't do it without you
Maybe from here on out, the wonderment will fade. Perhaps no season will be as magical as this. But I dare to hope that, possibly, bold newness of it all will give way to a unique sense of comfort in the beautifully obscure. And that maybe, someday, I can hand to a rookie all that was handed to me.
Go raibh maith agat.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
barefoot lemonade
The title for this post encapsulates my two absolute favorite things about summer. Especially having migrated to the frigid north, my barefoot time each year is significantly more limited and therefore, infinitely more precious. Lemonade, I suppose I could have at any time of year, but...I believe it to be a world wide understanding that lemonade in best is summer because it provides such refreshment in the heat and humidity.
Sidebar: Before we get too far into this journey, I feel it only fair to warn any readers of my affinity for metaphors. It can get outrageous - but it happens. Onward...
So barefoot lemonade, yes? Yes. But also, not at all why this post is so named. After starting this blog a few weeks ago, this barefoot girl stepped on a whole pile of nails that life left right in her way. Recalling the details would only serve to further my desire for "woe-is-me" attention - something I genuinely struggle with in everyday life, so we will leave them out. Let's just suffice it to say, bed bugs, burns, moves, salmonella, and more of the like hit hard. On right after another, I felt nail after nail to my barefoot soul...or sole.
And then, at the end of the week, when I couldn't take any more, I got to wake up at 5:30 and prepare for what would be a (n extraordinarily steamy) 16 hour work day.
Yep, you read that right. I got to.
Often times the nails I mentioned earlier are more commonly referred to as life's lemons. "When life hands you lemons..."
What do you do? Tradition would dictate "make lemonade."
While I would agree, more frequently than not, those who are kind enough to remind us of this 100 year old adage overlook the small fact that lemonade made from just lemons falls short of appetizing or refreshing. For those of you who have never made lemonade from scratch, I strongly recommend against making it without two other ingredients. Sugar and water. So simple. But so necessary.
And that first 16 hour day? That was the sugar. Or at least the first of it. Walking onto grounds, greeting patrons, playing with other performers, telling stories for hours- it all felt like coming home. Somewhere I had never been but had always felt I should be.
Life handed me a bit more sugar as the week went by and so I spent a good deal of time thinking about this lemonade metaphor. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how wondrously fitting it is. You see, to make lemonade you need three things - the bitter, the sweet, and a basic life force. Much like life.
Life contains the good, the bad, and the average. So let's start with the average.
We all have basic needs. Food, shelter, water, and preferably income or financial stability. On top of that, hobbies. For some people, reading is a necessity. For others, it's socializing. It could be many things like sports, faith, gardening, traveling, music. We all have a necessary life force. It sustains and shapes our interactions with the world in a way that is almost invisible since it seems to be so inherently a part of who we are. We all need water - literally and metaphorically.
Then there is the bitter. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Flat tires, lost jobs, bad hair days, empty bank accounts, cancer, finding out your child has lice, car accidents, losing a friend, bad grades, realizing the toilet paper roll is empty after you sit down... any and everything that can go wrong. If not for, then for someone you love. And once you hit a certain age, it seems as though it never stops. The bitter is all around you. Life's lemons - sometimes big, sometimes small, and almost always sour if they are standing alone.
But luckily, the bitter is always followed by the sweet. Maybe you meet a new friend, or start a family tradition to combat the bitter road ahead. You get a hug from someone unexpected. You see a rainbow, hear a favorite song you'd forgotten about. There are so many opportunities to find and create our own sugar.
Ultimately, it takes a little bit of it all to create the full amazing experience that we call life. Sometimes life gives us lemons and sometimes we find the ability to make lemonade in the most unexpected places.
Sidebar: Before we get too far into this journey, I feel it only fair to warn any readers of my affinity for metaphors. It can get outrageous - but it happens. Onward...
So barefoot lemonade, yes? Yes. But also, not at all why this post is so named. After starting this blog a few weeks ago, this barefoot girl stepped on a whole pile of nails that life left right in her way. Recalling the details would only serve to further my desire for "woe-is-me" attention - something I genuinely struggle with in everyday life, so we will leave them out. Let's just suffice it to say, bed bugs, burns, moves, salmonella, and more of the like hit hard. On right after another, I felt nail after nail to my barefoot soul...or sole.
And then, at the end of the week, when I couldn't take any more, I got to wake up at 5:30 and prepare for what would be a (n extraordinarily steamy) 16 hour work day.
Yep, you read that right. I got to.
Often times the nails I mentioned earlier are more commonly referred to as life's lemons. "When life hands you lemons..."
What do you do? Tradition would dictate "make lemonade."
While I would agree, more frequently than not, those who are kind enough to remind us of this 100 year old adage overlook the small fact that lemonade made from just lemons falls short of appetizing or refreshing. For those of you who have never made lemonade from scratch, I strongly recommend against making it without two other ingredients. Sugar and water. So simple. But so necessary.
And that first 16 hour day? That was the sugar. Or at least the first of it. Walking onto grounds, greeting patrons, playing with other performers, telling stories for hours- it all felt like coming home. Somewhere I had never been but had always felt I should be.
Life handed me a bit more sugar as the week went by and so I spent a good deal of time thinking about this lemonade metaphor. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how wondrously fitting it is. You see, to make lemonade you need three things - the bitter, the sweet, and a basic life force. Much like life.
Life contains the good, the bad, and the average. So let's start with the average.
We all have basic needs. Food, shelter, water, and preferably income or financial stability. On top of that, hobbies. For some people, reading is a necessity. For others, it's socializing. It could be many things like sports, faith, gardening, traveling, music. We all have a necessary life force. It sustains and shapes our interactions with the world in a way that is almost invisible since it seems to be so inherently a part of who we are. We all need water - literally and metaphorically.
Then there is the bitter. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Flat tires, lost jobs, bad hair days, empty bank accounts, cancer, finding out your child has lice, car accidents, losing a friend, bad grades, realizing the toilet paper roll is empty after you sit down... any and everything that can go wrong. If not for, then for someone you love. And once you hit a certain age, it seems as though it never stops. The bitter is all around you. Life's lemons - sometimes big, sometimes small, and almost always sour if they are standing alone.
But luckily, the bitter is always followed by the sweet. Maybe you meet a new friend, or start a family tradition to combat the bitter road ahead. You get a hug from someone unexpected. You see a rainbow, hear a favorite song you'd forgotten about. There are so many opportunities to find and create our own sugar.
Ultimately, it takes a little bit of it all to create the full amazing experience that we call life. Sometimes life gives us lemons and sometimes we find the ability to make lemonade in the most unexpected places.
Sunday, August 10, 2014
finding our roots with our feet
And so begins a new chapter of my blogging life. This is not my first blog (check out Starshine's Mind for some oldies but goodies). Today I decided to put into action what I actually decided a while back - to start a new forum where I can diligently and openly discuss things that touch me to my core.
The first decision I actually made regarding this blog was about the title. Being barefoot is a state of being that has long meant something to me. That meaning is complex, nonsensical, and beyond words. There is no one particular sentimental story about something poignant happening to me while I am barefoot. There is no specific life-changing event that I can remember happening in this state (though many probably did). There is just this feeling that I am somehow more connected with the world around me, parts both visible and not. In being barefoot, I am made vulnerable to elements out of my control. There is temperature, terrain, and even occasionally some not-so-friendly insects. I am willingly leaving unprotected the part of me that I most depend on for my daily transportation. And there is something ethereal, and almost magical, about that feeling. It reminds me that the world is larger than myself, past my sphere of influence, and ultimately uncontrollable.
Because of that, being barefoot is my preferred state of being when I worship, especially when music is involved. It doesn't matter the season. In winter I have even been known to slip off multiple layers of socks just to feel the ground underneath me resonate with sound.
And so, that is what this blog will attempt to reflect. It will be a place to explore the things in this world that are bigger than me. It will be an effort towards living and thinking in a way that is more genuine and connected. I find that I feel things more deeply and more humbly when I feel totally connected and engaged. Being barefoot is simply a physical manifestation of that mentality.
It is no secret to anyone who knows me well that I feel everything very deeply. This can feel like both a blessing and a curse. Hopefully, by spending more time being both mentally and physically barefoot, more things will seem a blessing than a curse.
So, here's to exploration, vulnerability, a space to think, room to create, and a whole new era of barefoot rediscovery.
The first decision I actually made regarding this blog was about the title. Being barefoot is a state of being that has long meant something to me. That meaning is complex, nonsensical, and beyond words. There is no one particular sentimental story about something poignant happening to me while I am barefoot. There is no specific life-changing event that I can remember happening in this state (though many probably did). There is just this feeling that I am somehow more connected with the world around me, parts both visible and not. In being barefoot, I am made vulnerable to elements out of my control. There is temperature, terrain, and even occasionally some not-so-friendly insects. I am willingly leaving unprotected the part of me that I most depend on for my daily transportation. And there is something ethereal, and almost magical, about that feeling. It reminds me that the world is larger than myself, past my sphere of influence, and ultimately uncontrollable.
Because of that, being barefoot is my preferred state of being when I worship, especially when music is involved. It doesn't matter the season. In winter I have even been known to slip off multiple layers of socks just to feel the ground underneath me resonate with sound.
And so, that is what this blog will attempt to reflect. It will be a place to explore the things in this world that are bigger than me. It will be an effort towards living and thinking in a way that is more genuine and connected. I find that I feel things more deeply and more humbly when I feel totally connected and engaged. Being barefoot is simply a physical manifestation of that mentality.
It is no secret to anyone who knows me well that I feel everything very deeply. This can feel like both a blessing and a curse. Hopefully, by spending more time being both mentally and physically barefoot, more things will seem a blessing than a curse.
So, here's to exploration, vulnerability, a space to think, room to create, and a whole new era of barefoot rediscovery.
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