It happened again.
I was walking down the side of the Monarch Pass, after walking up the side of the Monarch Pass for five pretty tough and rugged miles. After reaching the summit, at 11,233 feet, or close to it, its all downhill from there. Literally. The down side (as opposed to the downside) of the Pass is ten miles to the town of Sargents, and it is incredibly steep and winding, making this the toughest day of walking of the entire trip so far. And, to boot, when I got to Sargents, I had no choice but to either rent a teepee for the night or sit outside. I chose the teepee. I doubt that Indian teepees had electric outlets, but hey, its progress.
So, as I was saying, it happened again—this incredibly weird synchronicity between the music I am listening to on the mp3 player and what I am seeing as I am walking at that particular time. It often brings about an unexpected result, but more on that later.
The song that came on was John Denver, singing Rocky Mountain High. I was looking at the snowcapped mountains directly in front of me as it came on, and the lyrics, which I have always known, suddenly became so much more relevant to my life and this experience: “ When he first came to the mountains, his life was far away, on the road, hanging by a song…but the strings already broken, and he doesn’t really care. Been changing fast, but it don’t last for long.”
My life seems to be hanging by a song. Or a thread. Or both. All I can say is that the overwhelming power of this place, these mountains and the endless possibilities here, is something that I cannot ignore, and won’t. What exactly that means isn’t totally clear to me yet, but I know Ill be back here sooner rather than later.
Anyway, as I was saying…it happened again. It wasn’t the John Denver song, though, even though right after Rocky Mountain High came I Guess He’d Rather Be in Colorado…It was a song by the Who, of all people, that brought me to tears, hard tears, again. Men aren’t supposed to cry. I do, and I’m not ashamed of that fact. But, damn it, this stuff is coming out of nowhere, it seems. The song was Listening to You, maybe my favorite song of theirs. Its got powerful chords that drive my feet forward, but it was the words that got to me. Just as I rounded a corner and was suddenly faced with the sight of an entire, vast mountainside full of tall, straight Colorado pines of some sort, the words came into my earphones:
Listening to you I get the music.
Gazing at you I get the heat.
Following you I climb the mountain.
I get excitement at your feet!
Right behind you I see the millions.
On you I see the glory.
From you I get opinions
From you I get the story.
I think it was the line about climbing the mountains, and then me seeing the millions of trees and their glory that got to me, but suddenly the tears were flowing, and the world seemed a little clearer for some reason. I don’t mean to get all gooey here, but it was a transcendent moment for me. I’ve had a few others, including the sudden burst of tears when my hearing cleared up at the Ave Maria Grotto and when I saw strange and ghostly apparitions along the fields and paths of the Santa Fe Trail. All I know is that when it happens, and then passes, I feel oddly better and much more clear on things, so it isn’t an unwelcome reaction, just a surprising one. And Im okay with it.
John Boehner can cry all he wants. And so can I.
SF, just to keep U from crying I'll tell U what they call those Colorado pines. <<<< ALPINES >>>>.
ReplyDelete"When the student is ready, the teacher appears" - just not always in human form. This is what spirituality is, as opposed to religion. There is a little quotation used in 12-step groups (which are based on spirituality): "Religion is for people who do not want to go to Hell; spirituality is for those who have already been there." We like that. Love and Peace to you, my friend. Sceptics would say it is a combination of thin air and endorphins and that is why so many mortals have had spiritual experiences on top of mountains. I find the bottom of oceans equally effective!
ReplyDeleteTess, the Holy Spirit was given to me in no way that I cannot explain to the understanding of mankind in 1977 at the lowest point in my entire life.
ReplyDeleteI could tell you what happened but comprehension is only given to those that have actually experienced it.
When a person experiences hunger by not being able to get food over a long period of time or deliberately fasting, they will know what part of hell will feel like for googolplex years plus, also known as forever, eternal or always.
Religion is only a fake way to pretend you know how to stay out of hell and the easy way to go to hell.
God tells them in Acts 7:47-48 and 17:24 that 'God DOES NOT live in temples CRAFTED by hands of man' but religions convince their members that God's words are 'OUT OF CONTEXT' and to listen to them and they will tell you what you WANT TO KNOW instead of the CONTEXT as God put His words in.
I'll shut up before I get blocked. The truth gets on peoples nerves. Thanks for your comment about religion.
Everything that you where ever taught and everything that you ever thought, turn it upside down, inside out and backwards, then you can find salvation from hell.
SF, It's another day and I feel like talking (COMMENTING) agin.
ReplyDeleteI was eating breakfast a while ago and a tiny bird that resembles a gray BLUE BIRD was landing on a window divider bar on the door looking inside the shipping container where I live.
I counted how many times it inspected the inside of the container through the glass door. It was exactly 20 times, then it left. About 10 minutes later it returned and inspected about 10 more times and brought a friend with him that stood on an extension cord that I have hanging on a tree, watching the inspector. Then they left.
I decided to see if I have been blocked from your blog yet on the computer and the bird returned again in about 10 more minutes with it's buddy and came to the door window bar again about 5 or 6 more times watching me send U a comment about it.
Well, they have left now and I do not feel like commenting any more so I'll let you get back on the road.
UHUHO, here they are again. What do you think I should do. I offered to let them inside but they looked like they said "HECK NO" and then took off flying.
SF, the evening is getting late so I thought that since you like birds I would tell you about the inspection birds that keep looking through the glass in the door.
ReplyDeleteThese birds have returned over 100 more times since my earlier report about them but they changed their tactics.
The inspector bird has started pecking on the glass and the spectator bird has started singing as it watches the inspector.
I realized that the glass pecker was looking at his reflection and was kissing himself with his pecker on it's own pecker. It's pecker was purple like a bruise and so was his fan clubs pecker that was watching him. The bird may be gay because he was trying to kiss a bird that was the same sex as it was.
By the way, there is a bird that resembles sort of a pheasant that hangs out in the Colorado alpine trees on the mountain going up to Silverton, Co. It has a very loud distinguished sound and I'm sure some of your followers know which bird I am talking about. You may have already heard it. Some times it sounds like a humungus pecker wood.
Just wanted to relax you with a bird topic. Do you feel better now?
I hope your feet don't feel like the bruises on the birds pecker. Good luck.
keep em coming!
ReplyDeleteSF, what is a 'em'?
ReplyDeleteSF, U have my written permission to slip a few lines of my comments into your best seller when U get back to Jackson. People need to know about zzzzts & tweeting birds. It gets their mind off of hunger. The next time that U eat a biscuit, think of the birds.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the alpine bird that I spoke about earlier has a large air pocket under its bottom lip that it blows up before belching out it's loud rattling tweet.
Just thought I would tell your readers so one of them may be able to tell us the birds name. I fell off of a house on my head about 4.5 years ago and it prevents me from remembering names.