Donna’s sound system is broken. And by sound system I mean the blue tooth speaker that I have sitting on my dashboard that plays my music like a good old fashioned car boom box. So instead of heading to Best Buy (still a place) to buy a new speaker I have been listening to the only CD in my truck over and over (and over) on repeat. Ben Bullington. An Emergency Physician from Big Timber, Montana– a place very near and dear to my heart– who became a singer-songwriter in his late days before passing away. When Joe & I first split he sent me the CD in the mail, a gesture that at the time I didn’t interpret as kindness, but now I can quite clearly see was just that. So while my fondness for Joe has gone to the proverbial pasture, my fondness for this CD has not. As evinced by the fact that it is all I have listened to for about a month now.
I am preparing to move into my new digs within the next few days. I must admit that my love for the Commune itself pales in comparison to my love for the Urban Yurt. The UY was a soul shack that strummed my heartstrings. The Commune on the other hand is a Class1A Bonified Dump. However, there are attributes I associate with the Commune that have made this year great. One for the books, even. Namely: Jamal, Steve, Tim, Xiendy, Dan Ramon. I have really good friends here that know me well and have bent over backwards to make my life great. Tim made me a homemade angel food cake last year for my birthday and listens to all of my romance shenanigans. Jah-mal gives me a squeeze, says just the right thing at just the right time, and makes me feel valued. Steve is the best human (despite his powder todgerness). Xiendy is a pleasant surprise, never unwelcome, and always with tales to tell. Dan Ramon is loyal. If I drive home from work at 5PM or 3AM, Dan runs up the porch to greet me. There was a time when I was feeling quite low and I woke up in the middle of the night to Dan, our stray cat, sleeping in my bed. It wouldn’t have felt like rock bottom without him 🙂 And if I ever get rabies it will surely be at the paws of Dan. So while the Commune signifies a year of disarray for me, it also signifies a year of time spent with some of the best humans and critters I have known. So on to the next adventure. Huzzah.
“Are you living with your victim, or your valentine?
Are you asking yourself if you’re past your prime?
Do you stay down in the ground, Miss, or do you raise up high?
Do you find your own truth or do you toe the line?”
-The late, great Ben Bullington
***This was written over a year ago, but I recently moved again and have some real thoughts on the subject. So I figured I would publish this old piece, and in a short while put up my thoughts on moving this time around. Bon appetit. And for those wordsmiths among us, a little information on the etiology of the phrase Toe the line:
