30.11.09

Walkabout


So, I was making a random slideshow of November pictures, mostly because I was bored, but even more mostly because I love the song, Walkabout by Atlas Sound w/Noah Lennox and wanted to share it. It's so awesome! and besides, it's called Walkabout, which is the term for the Aboriginal tradition of tracing their ancestors' songlines, a rite of passage in the wilderness, which I think is pretty freakin' cool. I started thinking about the morning Skype conversation I had with my sister about the possibility of her own sort of walkabout, which I think is pretty freakin' cool. And I realized as I was looking at these snapshots of my life in November, of what I had seen and done, of some of the people and things whose paths I had crossed, that I'm in the midst of my own sort of walkabout. I do a lot of walking about these days, drifting through this big, beautiful city, over the bridge, through the gardens, now back home through the alleyways, all the while soaking up my surroundings, wandering keen-eyed and small, watching the world, feeling a part of it all.

"Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe." -Anatole France

When I wander, I don't feel lost at all, even when I realize I have no idea where I am. Somehow, my meanderings are leading me home. I think man tries so hard to make a place in this world, a concrete, tangible, safe place to shield ourselves from the unknown, and why wouldn't we? This universe is so big and mysterious and we are these tiny little ants. We want to be able to say with confidence and specificity, this is my place and my purpose, to nail down our existence: this is who I am, this is what I do, this is where I live, so as to make sense of it all. But the truth is you are as much of a mystery as this universe, small as you are, no matter who or what you say you are. To wander about someplace unknown, to wonder about something unknown then, is to admit your own smallness and to say to the universe, I want to discover you. And in discovering something beyond yourself, you end up realizing something within yourself, which I think is pretty freakin' cool. I'm not sure if any of that makes any sense, but, anyway, what I really want to say is, I'm thankful that I'm so small and clueless. I'm thankful that, if I'm lucky, there is still much wandering and wondering left for me to do.

Looking, Walking, Being
by Denise Levertov

"The world is not something to look at,
it is something to be in." -Mark Rudman

I look and look.
Looking's a way of being: one becomes,
sometimes, a pair of eyes walking.
Walking wherever looking takes one.

The eyes
dig and burrow into the world.
They touch
fanfare, howl, madrigal, clamor.
World and the past of it,
not only
visible present, solid and shadow
that looks at one looking.

And language? Rhythms
of echo and interruption?
That's
a way of breathing.

breathing to sustain
looking,
walking and looking,
through the world,
in it.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, Tracy. Your pictures are just incredible. The one of Jason's eye is unbelievable. Have you taken classes? Wow, I wanna take classes from YOU!

And I LOVE that song. I was at a show about a month ago at this bar/hall/record store, and before it started I was checking out the record store, and they were playing Walkabout. I went up to the clerk immediately to ask who it was. It's one of those songs that you love instantly and know it's not just because it's catchy. I like plenty of those on first listen, only to hate 'em three listens later.

Trying to catch up on your blog ... it may be awhile here with the craziness of the end of the semester, but GOOD JOB keeping up with it. I miss writing ...

Unknown said...

Another great slideshow! And yes that is a cool song. You probably already know this, but a week ago I stumbled onto the music website Aurgasm (stop laughing, we're all adults here). It's tagline is "your favorite music you've never heard" and they're right. Great music! I especially liked Boom Pam (surf guitar with tuba?). If you haven't already, check it out. Love you guys!

cindy said...

Cool song and cool pictures. Your Mom keeps laughing at me because I told her I wanted a nice camera because im into this photography thing. Off to find the song for my ipod

lovely you said...

Whoa. Aurgasm is AWESOME. Thanks so much for introducing us!!