I am not a writer...HOWEVER, my dear friend, Walter Williams, is an amazing writer and I want to share his story with you. He captures the true essence of Nomad Chic.
Just Because
There might be a point on the evening of October 29 at the yoga retreat facility Pachamama in Todos Santos, BCS, Mexico when Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” will scream into the warm night and your new Patagonia board shorts will drop to the floor as you strip naked and dance maniacally, channeling your inner Ray Donovan from the end of season 2 episode 7.
Because you, as a member of the species Homo sapien, need to dance and celebrate and connect. Because Linda sent invitations to Jack’s 60th birthday party with a picture of a topless woman dancing by a pool and these things lodge in your head. Because you haven’t partied naked since “that crazy beach party” in college at UCSB. Since you’ve been trying to get people back into streaking (cue up Will Farrell in Old School). Because Viggo Mortensen was right in Captain Fantastic, “It’s just a penis, every man’s got one.” Because small is the new big (interpret that however you want Mr. Trump).
Because this is why you work. To provide for your family and yourself, to balance the daily grind with beauty and adventure and a dash of craziness, to generate great stories and release Dopamine and Serotonin. Even though dropping a grand on a weekend while employed as a teacher is irresponsible financial behavior, the window of opportunity opens infrequently and when it does you should jump through it.
Because friendship is important. Go to every party you are invited to because the people throwing the party care about you enough to invite you over everyone else in the world. Because one day you will die and what will really matter is the impact you have made on the people around you. Immortality is possible through the effect you have on the earth and the people who inhabit it.
Because you need adventure. Sonoma is boring as shit. Good boring: safe, raise-your-kids-in-a-village-that-cares kinda boring but boring nonetheless. Ten years of debating leaf blowers could only happen in a certain type of town with a certain level of important issues.
Because your surfboard hasn’t seen the beach in a year and a half and it’s not happy about it. The break at Los Cerritos, eight miles from Todos Santos, is a rocky point break and if you want to ride it you need to get your lazy butt to Salmon Creek and practice. You’ve seen all the episodes of Ballers and Veep but you can no longer stand up on a surfboard. Koyaanisqatsi mother f-er; don’t let your life get out of balance.
Because you deserve it. Your marriage is pretty strong, one kid in college, the other doing well in high school, you are somewhat respected at work although your colleagues wish you would stop writing about them. Friends are good, money OK, things are working out because you work hard and make pretty good choices.
Cue the music, “Here comes Johnny Yen again…”
by Walter Williams
Valley Talking Blogs, Sonoma News
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