I started hiking again. My left knee is a little sore from my motorcycle accident back in January, but none the less, it’s worth it. Getting the endorphins going again has been challenging, to say the least. I’ve made some failed attempts at cycling, my heart just isn’t into it like it used to be. Years of cycling, racing, commuting… something has shifted. I don’t know if its sheer laziness or just the fact that its time for something new. Hiking helps. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of cars, people, and just the noise in general.

I grew up in Western Massachusetts in a small town called Granby just outside of Amherst. We were surrounded by a field of mountains known as the Holyoke Range but more commonly known to the locals as ‘The Seven Sisters’. When I was young it was routine for us to see Mr. Kent taking the dogs for a walk up the mountain. My friends and I would follow in his footsteps and do the same as we got older. Where a lot of kids these days sit around playing XBox or watching TV, we didn’t have such luxury. I think we were fortunate that we didn’t. We were young, we craved adventure. When we weren’t in school we were hiking up the Notch, over the mountains to Lithia Springs and then down behind Gagne’s Package Store to the river where we would sit in the cool water of summer. My brother Derek and I would take a different route when we weren’t with our friends. We would go to Grandma’s house. You see, Grandma lived at the foot of Skinner Mountain on the other side of us in Hadley (Over the River and through the woods to Grandmothers house we’d go). My Uncle Ted and Aunt Merle lived right next door and Aunt Merle’s sister next door to them. The TV show, The Waltons, was more personal to us than you could imagine.

Climbing those ridges was like being with God to me. I wrote in the song, With the Beating of Your Heart, “I’d sit beneath a lonely tree to keep it company”. Solace. My time to sit alone. To think about the world. To wonder why we were here. And although I was an avid reader I struggled with my ADD so most of my learning came from silence, under that tree. That tree that we had all carved our names into. This is where I communed with God. Outside of a church. The woods, the mountains, the streams, the silence… that was church to me. Hiking in the fall. Hearing the leaves crunch under your feet. You could hike for hours and never run across another soul. I would regularly climb across the ridgeline to Skinner Mountain above my Grandmothers house. It is said that George Washington slept there. My Uncle Ted was part of the restoration of the building. He volunteered his time there. We grew up there. It was, in our minds… family. I’ve taken people back there with me. I don’t think it was the same for them as it was for me. The shale rock, the moss, hearing the squirrels scampering around. Heaven.

You see, I never bought religion. My mother sent us to Bible camp when we were kids. Not as punishment… she believed she was doing the right thing and to give her a much needed rest from us. She was a single Mom putting herself through college and doing the best she knew how to. I still remember the name of the bible camp to this day. ‘Word of Life’. At ‘Word of Life’ we became ‘born again’. Not knowing what it even mean’t, but not wanting to be an outsider, we declared our love for Jesus. I’ve always known, or felt, that Jesus was just a man. A great man. Someone like Mr. Kent, who inspired us, got us to think for ourselves. That’s all. I’ve also been the guy that will never put down others beliefs. They are personal (until they start knocking on doors). It’s one thing to have someone ask you about their beliefs as apposed to shoving it down their throats. That is the difference between spirituality and religion to me. Spirituality is your belief where Religion tells you what to believe. And believe me, I’ve struggled with the meaning of it all. Mother Teresa was a great woman who believed in God. She was Catholic yet I consider her a Spiritual being… because she truly believed in something. She believed in people. She didn’t believe because she thought she was going to go to hell if she didn’t. She just believed because she believed in humanity. Martin Luther King was a Christian, but again, he believed in something outside of the religious structure. These were leaders, not followers, or Sheeple as I like to call them. Don’t get me wrong… I’ve done my share of following. It was never for an extended period of time though. It was never a longing to be part of something. It’s never been that. It’s been the longing to experience something.

I joined the Marines to get away from my own demons. It didn’t work. There were still there. At the same time I longed for the experience that the Marines gave me. It was never about getting the bad guys, or ‘Killing a Commie for Mommy’ as we used to say. It was about traveling the world. An opportunity to experience something I never would have been able to experience coming from my humble upbringings. Traveling around the world, I got to see different cultures. I got to see different religions and belief systems. I could no more say they were wrong in their beliefs as I could state that mine were right. Years later I would hear a phrase that would have the most meaning to me, the phrase that would tie together all that I’ve experienced and seen.

“There is no such thing as wrong or right but what works and what doesn’t work.” Sigh. Hearing that phrase spoke real truth to me.

Wrong and Right are so subjective and with varying degrees and most of those degrees vary out of guilt and/or fear. Fear that you might take something from me or that you might crumble my belief. My whole stance on this. Right and Wrong are black and white and there is no black and white in this world. Black and white is what creates wars, prejudice, etc. I leave you with this quote by Marcus Aurelius…

“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.” Peace, D

There is a general consensus that Rock ‘n’ Roll is dirty, ugly, full of sex and drugs. To a certain extent it’s true. Neil Young wrote in his song, ‘Hey, Hey, My, My’, that “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” More than a few musicians have taken this approach. But you would be surprised at how many have taken a different approach.

Rock ‘n’ Roll is not an easy life… I’m not complaining though. I’m just saying… it’s long nights of recording your music, marketing yourself on the internet, photo shoots, playing out, getting feedback (good and bad) and sometimes you’re playing in front of the bartenders and the kitchen help. It can be demeaning. But on the same note its the best high you could ever experience, standing on a stage, pouring your heart out and connecting with others. Nothing beats it in my opinion. What most fans don’t see is the guy sitting on the tour bus at the end of a show, or in most cases… a van, by himself trying to unwind after such an explosive experience. And most of us have day jobs that we go back to where you aren’t on stage anymore. You’re sitting in a cubicle where nobody that you work with has a clue what you were doing the night before and you are sleep deprived and still trying to unwind. It gets depressing for a lot of us. How do we cope? Again, a lot cope with sex, drugs or alcohol, or all of the above. For me it’s Reiki and Cycling. When I’m not doing either of those I’m a bear to be around. I have to force myself to do them. Get away from the computer for a a bit and get the endorphins going.

Being a Reiki Practitioner has helped me immensely. I consider myself a spiritualist, a seeker of higher knowledge… but when I was first approached with the idea of Reiki I thought it was bullshit quite honestly. When I got my first attunement (Level I) I would practice with my partner at the time. I didn’t buy it… yeah, my hands were tingling a bit, but was I just making that up in my head? Well… as time passed I got my second attunement (Level II) and started experimenting on others. Now my hands are on fire even at the mention of Reiki, like now as I’m typing this to you. I’ve done distance healings where I wouldn’t ask them what was wrong. I didn’t want to know. But when I would get the callback from them and they told me what they felt I knew there was something to this energy work. Reiki works. And knowing that Reiki works helps me to believe that there is more out there than we can see. It has helped me feel better about myself, and its another ‘tool’ for me to use other than cycling alone. I meditate more now and I am calmer.

This gave me an idea!

I’ve decided to start a collective of Rock Musicians and fans that are Reiki Practitioners, Massage Therapist, Yoga Instructors, healers, etc. out there to have their own community where they can share their experiences, share their craft, market themselves to a specific community and help grow it. It’s in the beginning phases as the moment. It’s just an ‘idea’ right now really. But I’ve put together a webpage and a facebook page. If you’d like to get involved with it, hit me up.

The Reiki Rocker

The Reiki Rocker Facebook Page

Peace,
D

Yesterday, Nelson Mandela, South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, philanthropist, President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, passed away at the age of 95 years old. Nelson Mandela was the first black South African to hold the Presidential office, and the first elected in a fully representative election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid through tackling institutionalized racism, poverty and inequality, and fostering racial reconciliation. After an international campaign against apartheid his oppressors were forced to release him.

Now you would think that somebody after 27 years might have quite a grudge and want revenge? Most of us would take this approach, I’m sure of it. This man took the high road. He forgave those that oppressed him. Think about it… 27 years locked up with nothing to do. Revenge would be the Hollywood version most people would expect, no, crave for that matter! What gives us that vengeful bone in our body? What makes us feel that justice must be served? If we are such a Christian nation, as we so boldly and arrogantly claim, why don’t we follow the teaching of Jesus Christ and turn the other cheek? Where do we get the audacity to exclude certain things out of a bible that we claim to be the word of God? Oh yeah… I forgot. We’re ‘sinners’. Sorry, but, $#^% that!

I don’t profess to be a Christian. I would consider myself more ‘Christ-like’ or ‘Buddha-like’. Jesus wasn’t a Christian, nor Buddha a Buddhist. Their followers are. The ones that pick and choose which teachings suit them instead of including all of them. Mandela was no different than Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammad, or any other that we’ve put on a pedestal. He professed peace. When do we, as human ‘be’ings stop following and start ‘be’ing?

Forgiveness. And most of all… forgive yourself. That’s where it starts.

I am humbled to have had such a person as Nelson Mandela living during my time on this earth. Someone who could teach me this through example. During this holiday season lets see who we can forgive. Lets see all of those old wounds healed. They are not serving us. They never have. Once we do this, once we forgive ourselves and those around us, we will eventually see Governments change, just like they did in South Africa. Anything is possible.

Peace,
D