and then it was 2012

view from my studio in 2011 - mrl 2011

I can remember a time when I thought we'd never make it to 2012.  Before the year 2000 - Y2K - it seemed like things were going to veer off course for the world in an irreparable way, with technology crashing to a halt and the environment melting like it was in a microwave.  Yet, here we are, another year with its arbitrary Gregorian number.  At the beginning of this new millennium, 12 years ago today, I was waking up groggily in a tent in a field in the Big Cypress National Preserve in the Florida Everglades after watching Phish bring in the new year and being filmed from above by news helicopters covering the biggest Y2K events.  Today I woke up happily in my bed next to my fiancé, got up to make coffee, and wandered into my studio to see what the news of the world was and marvel at the still-green grass outside.  

No question we're living in some crazy times; unpredictable, volatile, percolating times.  I feel incredibly blessed to be able to live where I live and how I want to live:  on a beautiful island in the Atlantic ocean with a peaceful atmosphere surrounded by people I love.  To be able to live here and be working as an artist; to be able to live in a creative way with minimal stress - I am aware this is a luxury, a blessing, and I am thankful for it every day.  


As this is the Year of the Dragon, I'm getting ready to implement some serious routine & discipline into my work and my life.  I'll be starting a lot of new projects, including P90X, so I'll be needing all the belly fire I can get to stay focused and keep up.  Happy New Year - may all these blessings shine on you.  

It's not a new one, but here's a song for the day - from the late great R.L. Burnside: