Easter At Home?

It's strange to be home at Easter. Jen and I are almost always in Vegas on this weekend for Viva Las Vegas. Because of Easter falling early this year, VLV doesn't begin for another few weeks. It isn't so strange that I wrote a very similar post to this four years ago when we were on our way to VLV.

It isn't strange because I feel this way every year this time, a feeling of hope and renewal. Maybe it comes from a Christian upbringing. Maybe it just comes because winter is over and spring is here and for eons human beings have held celebrations at this time of year, though most probably don't involve Rockabilly music, loud cars, tatted-up pinups, and Pabst Blue Ribbon.

I've always liked Mardi Gras because it was that one last Bacchanalian celebration before setting my sights on making some real changes come Easter. I would say that sometimes I was marginally better. Usually I just realized that I was another year older and my Rock-n-Roll lifestyle wasn't doing my body much good. (Three or four nights in Vegas will do that to you.)

This year has been different. The changes I have made have been "out-of-band" so to speak, not occurring in the regular course of events. Mardi Gras was less "Mardi Gras" this year, knowing, as really I always have, that true change comes little by little, day by day.

Easter time this year has me feeling the same feelings as always, hope and revitalization. There is still so much I need to work on as a person. Winter had me pretty down. (The meds help a lot to whitewash it.) Now the sun is up, the daffodils are blooming, and the Cubs are on the t.v. (Someone needs to re-energize the Cubs starting rotation, however!) I'm motivated. I hope you are too. For whatever challenges you are facing and whatever your faith, this is a great time to "get after it" as my old football coach used to say.

Amongst the Sinners

Tomorrow morning we are headed to Las Vegas for Viva Las Vegas, Rockabilly Weekend. VLV is a combined, car show, concert festival, burlesque show, and generally a scene for women to dress up like pinup models. Jen and I have gone now for years. It's always held on Easter weekend, and we kid, "Hey, where else would Jesus want us to be other than in Sin City for Easter, amongst the sinners, preaching His message?"

Okay, neither Jen nor I are the preaching type. In fact, we aren't exactly church-going types, though I think both of us wouldn't mind that changing. I feel like I am a very religious person, but not in a conventional sense. Maybe I would identify with being more "spiritual" than religious, except that for the fact that those who say they are "spiritual" often just use that as an excuse for either not wanting to think about it too much or not wanting to risk telling people they are religious.

I just don't identify with a particular religion, but in a way I identify with ALL of them, well, all the major ones. To me, they all carry the same message, just put into words that the people of a particular time and place could identify with. I have an entire treatise on this somewhere within me, but I don't want to get into that now, not on the eve of flying out to Las Vegas. Basically though I believe every religion says "Be good to each other." OR in the words of Bill & Ted, "Be Excellent to each other." What being good really means is perhaps what we all get hung up on. However, I simply believe that "goodness" exists, and that we should strive for that.

In doing that, in striving to be good, I feel I too often fall short. On the way home while driving today I was thinking about it. I was thinking about how hard I have been working to try and be better, and still falling short, wondering what I really need to do to become a better person. And I realize I have really been trying to do it on my own. Once in a while I can confide to Jen, or my brothers, or a close friend, but mostly I felt like I had to do everything on my own.

Then the thought, and the feeling came over me -- I don't have to do it alone. I'm not saying that I'm going to start calling upon God to make me a better person. I don't believe in Him like that. To say I believe in a Him at all in a conventional sense would be incorrect . But there is a reason that so many people find strength in prayer, in meditation, in the Bible, in the Koran, in going to church, in the buddha, dharma, and sangha. There is wisdom in religion.

We'll see where this really takes me. Happy Easter to all of you, however you plan to celebrate!

More Random Status

Confession: big childhood crush was Martha Davis of The Motels.... Following up on that, I made a Guilty Pleasures playlist on Spotify (The Motels aren't on it. No guilt in loving me some Motels). At first I just left it public, because I was like, I don't care what people think of my Guilty Pleasures, but then it was even too embarrassing for me, so I hid it....I've mostly stayed away from the social media, but sometimes I just habitually browse to FB. I suppose this is why I had to give it up for a while in the first place.... I don't get why the Rockies want me to pay something like $30-40 / game for at least 20 games just to get Opening Day tickets. I know that a third of the way through the season I will be able to get those same tickets for about $10 apiece because no one is going to wan to go watch this team. It irritates me that they want you to pay all this money and then you go to the park at mid-season and they've completely closed off the third level except for right behind the plate....Northwestern, still undefeated in NCAA tournament play....What is CNN going to air when they finally find that plane?.... Where we are staying in Paris in June: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/497695. This is going to be awesome!..... Also have tickets again for VLV. It's going to be a short trip this time, and overshadowed by the Paris trip, but I am still REALLY looking forward to it. Need a bit of a break from the routine.