and we swung to the moon…
I like to think that I strive live my life in such a way that one day I can sit in a rocking chair and tell the same ole grand stories over and over to my grandkids. Hell, even just to the common passersby. I hope to always find adventure in the simplest moments. To augment this story I’ll one day share. The night of August 8th, will undoubtably be added to the pages of this great tale.
This summer I did a lot of events on Governor’s Island which is off the south tip of Manhattan. A four minute ferry ride across the Hudson takes you to a small escape from the busy streets of New York City and to the squeaking of bikes and picnic baskets on the other side of the River. On this lovely breezy night on Governor’s Island, I had no idea of the adventure I’d soon embark on. Josh Ritter was playing this day and a lot of my Texas friends in the city scuttled on over to the island for beautiful music and Bushmills on flow. A kind gentleman asked me to dance in the middle of everyone backstage in the VIP area. My feet were on the ground but my heart was soaring on a cumulous cloud dangling above. A simple treasured moment.
It was time to start wrapping up the event so we start to shut down the bars and take down all the branding. The island had cleared out, but my bud Laura stayed back to help Grant and I along with my new friend Rusty in a navajo inspired tank top who was mentioned to resemble a spirited Zach Galifianakis. This imagery would thus serve as a catalyst to me referring to him as Zach for a majority of the night.
As we put some of the last boxes away in our storage unit I hear a whimpering behind me. It’s the soft muttering of the golf cart behind me, just begging for a quick spin. In efforts to not let the ole cart down, the four of us pile on the beast equipped with 1 tepid 24 oz can of Miller High Life and a half drunken bottle of Bushmills. Grant drove us south on the island along the shoreline. The further we went the quicker we diminished the hue of the city lights and embraced the nighttime fog that whipped in our faces at a glorious 1 AM.
As we’re passing Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty, an awe blanketed the golf cart as we breathed in the moment. Our awe was quickly thwarted by a new distraction. A gift if you will. There was a gigantic swing set made most conveniently for four adults with big kid hearts. Somehow the nature of the swing’s structure allowed us to soar into the stars with the tips of my sandals twinkling above me. As I was swinging with every fiber of my being I stalled for a moment to capture an internal snap shot. In front of me was Lady Liberty standing ever so stolidly in the moonlight with Ellis Island in her moon lit shadow as the resonance of my friends laughter echoed through the hollow tree lines of the island.
There is more to this marvelous story, but guess you’ll just have to take a seat on my front porch and get cozy in the rocking chair next to me to find out it’s ending. This night was a night I stepped back with open arms and welcomed a single moment that will forever be embedded in this ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ book of my life. Sometimes life takes us to dead ins. Sometime it takes us through dark corridors and winding hallways towards our dreams. Sometimes life rams us smack dab into people that alter and better the course of our adventure. And sometimes we just swing towards the moon….
