Last month, Kevin Henderson of The Swigs said this is a great time to be in Tucson. He's right, and here's why (to unabashedly rip off Bob Marley, Tom Robbins and John Lennon): We are working on emancipating ourselves from mental slavery with divine playfulness to lighten our existential burden, dreaming together a reality that is wicked cool.
Al Perry made a perceptive comment to me that, although financially some of us may be below the government's poverty line, we live like kings compared to most on this planet. Tucson, which certainly has its issues, is a cheap place to reside with a rich cornucopia of brilliant, multi-talented people.
As we worked on this issue, it really struck me how lucky we are. It's a swingin' place. It's the dance performances, the events, the history, music, culture, the ingenuity and compassion and above all, the fun, which - as Joseph Campbell might opine - inspires "the rapture of being alive."
I'm not saying it's just cake and ice cream and Sunday barbeques. There's a lot of suffering and pain and hard work, but infusing the town with art and joy has a cumulative effect. The energy of doing good things sticks.
This month, Sacred Machine, MyTown Music and 2nd Saturdays are all celebrating one year anniversaries. Art.If.Act Dance Project, now in its second year, is kicking off to China; the Centurions are coming Downtown for their annual St. Mary's Hospital fundraiser; local fashion shows will benefit local charities and there's a good dose of people realizing their dreams.
I tip my hat to Tucson for coming together to embrace, what I think ties into Tom Robbins' philosophy: "We are in this life to enlarge the soul, liberate the spirit and light up the brain."
