DCDanceBlog

i got back last night from a trip home. it was great in many ways, but one thing that sticks in my mind is how terrific my town is. it’s a college town and thus has a bit more to offer than your average north carolina burg–in fact, a lot of locals move back after college to settle for a while, some permanently. i’ve done a few stints of my own over the past 10-15 years, and still have a lot of friends there. so it’s always fun to be home and hang out and see what folks are up to. there are a lot of creative people there, not just my friends but a whole host of hip/hippie young people with strong interests.

it’s totally different from here. the whole “career” thing isn’t really an issue. yes, some people have job goals, long term objectives that they’re working towards on a 9-5 schedule. but there are also a lot of slackers there who aren’t interested in the consumerist lifestyle, the 40 hour workweek in some dismal cubicle. instead, they’re making money from somewhat menial jobs and are spending the rest of their time hanging out, doing cool activities with friends, and following their interests. that’s the part that i find the most interesting. people are engaged in really cool things: creating and expanding a “recyclry,” where old bike parts are combined to create new bicycles–if you work there for 15 hours, one of those bikes can be yours! or developing a community garden, using the extra land in a local park. painting. doing landscaping for local businesses that’s based on specific principles that incorporate native plants. setting up a “fashion show,” curated and staffed by local notables. hosting a large “totally free market” on saturdays, where people can bring their old stuff and get new stuff, all for free.

et cetera. a lot of these things are based on ideas of an alternative lifestyle, which does speak to me mightily. but what i’m most impressed with at this moment is how people who have been essentially slackers, not particularly ambitious, can wind up doing really cool things that end up being quite impressive! little by little, these folks are becoming experts in their fields, though i bet they didn’t intend to wind up that way. but all they did was to follow their interests. they stuck with what interested them, and it took them places.

that emphasizes something i saw on the fridge of one of my good friends this weekend: persistence is the secret to success.

i love it. you mean there’s no magic formula? you mean it’s not all or nothing, either you’re born w/ it or you’re out of luck?