QUESTION #3
I continue to marvel at the honest and poetic responses you share. Thanks again.
As for me re: QUESTION #2: I would say I've got the global and local versions of what sates my ritualistic soul. My annual pilgrimmage to Burning Man is like returning home, the perfect place for my eclectic family of black sleep to descend onto one freakish, theatrical, communal place for a week a year. My other is my Yucatan 'home' which I visit most Decembers and indulge my expat, south of the border, wannabe salsa self. As for local ceremony, I love to have family and friends over for dinner, to hang out, bang on drums, dance to cheesy disco, whatever the mood dictates. Several times a week I try not to get out of bed until I've done a little white light visualizing/positive thinking/hippie juju and I definitely take at least 2 days a month to go on some 1-2 hr road trip involving a quiet river town/mountain and obnoxiously loud 70s rock/soul en route.
Moving on....
The other night I went out with two friends to a fun musical performance . Later in the evening the subject of fancying having someone else's life came up. My short answer was NO, that I don't wish to walk in someone else's shoes. That I know, despite whatever challenges, that I am meant to be walking precisely the path I am walking even if I often wished there were more roses and daisies lining its way. Not that I don't occasionally envy Angelina Jolie's access to the UN and some 20something on the street's ass. So I ask you...
QUESTION #3:
WHOSE LIFE WOULD YOU BORROW FOR ONE WEEK? AND WHAT SPECIFICALLY ARE THE QUALITIES YOU'D TAKE ETERNALLY FOR YOUR OWN?
As for me re: QUESTION #2: I would say I've got the global and local versions of what sates my ritualistic soul. My annual pilgrimmage to Burning Man is like returning home, the perfect place for my eclectic family of black sleep to descend onto one freakish, theatrical, communal place for a week a year. My other is my Yucatan 'home' which I visit most Decembers and indulge my expat, south of the border, wannabe salsa self. As for local ceremony, I love to have family and friends over for dinner, to hang out, bang on drums, dance to cheesy disco, whatever the mood dictates. Several times a week I try not to get out of bed until I've done a little white light visualizing/positive thinking/hippie juju and I definitely take at least 2 days a month to go on some 1-2 hr road trip involving a quiet river town/mountain and obnoxiously loud 70s rock/soul en route.
Moving on....
The other night I went out with two friends to a fun musical performance . Later in the evening the subject of fancying having someone else's life came up. My short answer was NO, that I don't wish to walk in someone else's shoes. That I know, despite whatever challenges, that I am meant to be walking precisely the path I am walking even if I often wished there were more roses and daisies lining its way. Not that I don't occasionally envy Angelina Jolie's access to the UN and some 20something on the street's ass. So I ask you...
QUESTION #3:
WHOSE LIFE WOULD YOU BORROW FOR ONE WEEK? AND WHAT SPECIFICALLY ARE THE QUALITIES YOU'D TAKE ETERNALLY FOR YOUR OWN?
That question is loaded... should be one put to our current potential presidential candidates as opposed to "what is your biggest flaw?" so we can scrape just one layer deeper....
im truly torn. oh btw, if i misspell things, its because i cant type not because i dont know how... (thats not for cali, but for other peeps who may read this). i have to give 2 (1 spiritual and one superficial) and reasons for both - this is wishful anyway and in Anthealand I can have whatever i like.
1. WHO - Superficial - Warren Buffett - 3rd richest man in the world. WHY - While being the 3rd richest man in the world, he is more low profile than most, with his resources and one week to utilize them, one could LITERALLY move mountains. The question did not ask what I would do, so we will save that for another time. What I would take with me are the contacts, the secrets, the genius, the "conservative" philanthropy ideal (dude gave away like 80 % of his assets to the BILL AND MELINDA GATES foundation, i think - note that), and the silent integrity, and to be able to say at 13, i filed my first tax return for my pink bike w the flowered basket citing it as a work expense.
2. WHO - Spiritual - Nameless Leper in India - I suppose it is sort of demented, but i have held a grudge against a nameless human being i saw in India on a family and friend group trip i saw when i was 13. I almost went into a longer explanation but then realized if you are on Cali's site, i dont have to. We were at some tourist thing and like any other 13 year old i would always wander 20 - 40 feet away from the group to both ensure I would get the attention but also to explore within a comfort zone. I saw a man who clearly had severe case of leprosy. At first, like any person, i was drawn to and probably staring at his skin and the cloth he was wrapped in and the makeshift crutches that were laying against the wall next to him. After I finally got over the initial gawking, i looked at his face and his eyes and was overcome with what was there. He was lit up, smiling and full of something ethereally beautiful that i still can't capture whether i write it or speak about it. My honest first extinct was like "What the fuck can he be happy about????". I was so jealous at the life secret that man possessed, he had something no one i had ever seen before had. i started looking around more after that and seeing that people who embrace a faith, no matter what creed, have a glow and a secret that the rest dont. Anyway, who i would want to be is that man i saw that first showed me the power of faith and what i would take with me is the secret. ( and it wont be a book or dvd).
And there you have it. 2 people, different reasons and equally powerful legacies. What I do want though, truth be told, is later in life when asked again, I wouldn't want to be in another's shoes, i would be content in mine. Barack '08 - Vote for Change
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My Dear Cali,
We've known each other for years(won't put number). Love your blog. OK. So, whom would I like to trade with for 1 week. And that would mean they would have mine for 1 week, right? Awesome, they can change the litter boxes of my 4 cats and pick up the poop of my 2 dogs. Seriously: My spelling sucks, so if I make any errors, forgive me. Here goes: I would like to trade with Oprah for 1 week. I know that I'd be hooked on Redbull for that period of time, I accept that. It would be interesting to me to see how the most powerful woman in America spends her days, with whom she interacts, and to what degree she actually does her own research. Time management would be one key thing I'd probably take away from the week. Learning to juggle and work with a huge team would be another. OK, I love Gayle King, so eating a cheese burger with her and talking about how fine Denzel is while downing several martinis is appealing too. I'd really sit Obama down and ask him specific questions relating to issues that concern me(Oprah): Like education, i want specifics, healthcare, etc. I'd ask him why I should give him the banner of approval? Keep in mind that I already voted for him, I happen to like him and what he stands for. I just want/need to know more about why Oprah supports him. We really have only heard her say that he's the one for her, but no specifics really. People need to know why, I think. I want him to be our next President, and I know why I do(which I won't bore you with), but why does Oprah? I think I'd like to be Oprah for a week because inside every gay-white-jewish guy, there is a full-figured African-American Woman fighting to get out!!
Love,
Ilan
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The first person who comes to mind in Bono. I admire his laid back, real, yet powerful do good style. He is able to cross party lines to accomplish what he wants and stays on point doing so, since all he cares about is his end goal. His appeal is universal...He can get down with the funky and intellectualize with best of them. He wears many hats. Still under 50, he's married to his best friend for 25 years, is a father of 4 and can throw back a beer all while changing the world. These are the qualities I would like to take with me after my week as Bono would end. I love that in some ways he's still just an ordinary guy from Ireland who is using his fame to to make a difference for all the less fortunate people in the world. I too believe we are all ONE.
Subconsciously I guess I have felt this way since I sat on the Roman Steps freshly out of college singing U2 songs over and over under the starry nights in Italy.
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I really tingle with your Bono admiration.
I'd like to throw back a beer or two with
you too and really explore the balance of funky and intellectual.Subconsciously I felt this way since I saw Bono at spring fest '83. If your not busy maybe we can get together or just send pictures of one another dressed as people we would like to be for a week,
straight or drag acceptable.
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Ramesses the Great or his cooler sounding Greek handle, Ozymandias. He ruled ancient egypt for 60 years and built many of its most impressive creations such as Abu Simbel.
You can think someone today like Bill Gate or a U.S. President has power but it pales when compared to any ancient emperor-Roman, Chinese or other.
These people could literally order their entire nation do their bidding. Unadulterated raw power.
Ramesses appeals to me because if you had this kind of power and you could really choose to live your life knowing that you faced an eternity ahead of you how would you prepare. Eternity is too big a concept for me to get into my dome. By Ramsses got it. He thought seriously about his reality and what lay ahead of him.
Qualities: the brutal honesty to stare into the abyss of time and not flinch
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I would love to borrow Maya Angelou's life for one week. She has always been the one person I would love to sit down and have lunch with, preferably in her own kitchen since she's such an amazing cook. I could sit and listen to her recite the phone book. What a voice!!!! Anyway, what an honor it would be for a 30something white girl to feel the essence of greatness for one whole week. I would love to witness her day-to-day goings on. I have been a fan of hers for years. I only wish that my brain had the capacity to take from the experience all that she has to offer. But if I had to choose it would be her love of life and all that it encompasses. She loves the written word but speaks it so well. I would secretly take with me a tape recording of her voice reciting her famous poem "Phenomenal Woman"!!!!!
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when i was a wee one, abbi hoffman was my fav!
these days im most comfortable with me just being me
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The funny girl in me would like to either slide into Dorothea Hurly's life so I could be Jon Bon Jovi's wife or to become Brad Pitt for that time so I could stake claim to Angelina Jolie but honestly the only thing I would take away from either of those experiences is probably some sort of STD.
Honestly I think I would like to step into Oprah's monolo's! I think she is an amazing person who does a lot of good in her daily life. She helps to heal people, helps to get people healthy both mentally and physically and she donates a lot of her money to those in need. I would probably do a little more then what she does if I were in her shoes (as far as the donating) but I think she is an amazing person. I would love to experience that.
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