regenerate

April 10, 2010:

Today the universe led me to a man called Perry.

Perry, Joel and Jerry all play in a band called The Three Neighbours in Jersey City, NJ. They play a fusion of African & jazz music, all improvised.

I felt really drawn to Perry from the first moment I saw him. I had no idea who he was but something about the way he was made me feel immediately that this man had led an extraordinary life.

Every other word that came out of his mouth was a genuine “beautiful” or “wonderful”. He seemed to be very aware and knowledgeable about the world but at the same time he had the curiosity and wonder of a child.

I like how he said “magic” so many times! He kept praising life and everything around him with his speech – I’ve met many people who do this, and many times it reeks of inauthenticity. With Perry, somehow every bit of it felt real, it seemed like the world was somehow still magical for him.

He was wearing a shirt that said ‘Truth Is One, Paths Are Many’.

Perry walked with me a short distance from Jewett Ave to a nearby drugstore. After we parted ways as I headed to Journal Square to catch the PATH back to New York, I kept thinking that I really wanted to live like Perry – to have that approach to life. He seemed like someone who had lived a full life. I feel very fortunate to have met him.

I have realized that there is so much in life that goes way beyond money and status (indeed, what a severely limited lens through which to experience the universe). I have had wonderful experiences here in NYC living minimally (in material terms) but remembering to keep an open heart and mind and having the willingness to share whatever skills that I have.