Every time I leave to play shows, I know there’s a certain amount of danger and uncertainty that goes with that. We don’t talk about it – but it’s there… and what is essentially a stroke of bad luck feels all-encompassing, endless, and impossible.
There’s a long list of things to be grateful for in the midst of those circumstances, but that evades us when the bill comes. The bill in this case came in the form of a transmission shop invoices totalling several thousand dollars, and was accompanied by 2 tow-truck bills and a couple extra nights in a hotel 6 hours from home.
There’s a checklist though, and it needs to be acknowledged – and in spite of the fact that there are a million little things that are frustrating, there is ONE BIG ONE:
– nobody got hurt
Really… that’s good enough, but the checklist goes on, and the next 2 concerns are:
– the payment went through
– we didn’t miss any shows
The bummer count is pretty minimal:
– I got a new nephew I had to put off meeting
– shit’s expensive
Ultimately, that’s a successful trip by many metrics. Even more successful when you account for the fact that in 30 years of doing this, I’ve never been stranded anywhere. We’re all happy & healthy as far as it goes.
My time stranded in Lethbridge, AB furnished me with a decent hotel and the ability to get some work done, I was able to get a prescription renewed, I had a guitar with me, it was probably the best weather conditions that town has had for most of the summer, and everything I needed was within walking distance except for the transmission shop where my whip was parked, and being there a couple times only cost me one cab ride. Otherwise I was chauffeured.
What’s more – the crazy situation that brought about our bass player’s wife’s gut feeling that something was amiss. She was attending an event relatively close by, decided to wander up to an area with cell reception, and worked out a plan to get us back on the road for the last show of the trip with their vehicle… it wasn’t without it’s logistical challenges, but ultimately a miraculous set of circumstances once you take a step back.
Beyond all of THAT… the ability to pay comes straight out of a strange set of circumstances around a sum of money that we received. Still not without it’s frustration and emotional turmoil… and repayment, of course – but it was possible.
Miraculous.
30 years on, and there’s still signs in the sky that we’re supposed to be doing this.
Where are we this playing week? Castle Mountain, near Pincher Creek… about an hour away from where I was stranded a few days ago.
If you see me grinnin’ (you won’t, but if you do…) it’s because I have a lucky horseshoe supplanted somewhere.
The Conscious Pilgrim 