Saturday, April 23, 2005

Hovel vandals and Shaman's Dream

My eyes open, I watch the light filter thru Skip's plastic membrane roof and bounce off the array of objects: painted boulder, plants, tools, books, painted walls, painted floors. The day has started overcast and I examine the damage that I'd discovered last night. I hear 2 youths outside, they are playing along the creek that runs next to the hovel. I call them inside and ask: were you in here last night? The first youth says "no" but soon enough he owns up to the wanton destructive behavior. It is then that I see that 2 of my 3 beeded bracelets have disappeared. One of the youths finds one quickly so now I have 2 out of 3. I speak with them about how it made me feel the previous night to see parts of the wall destroyed with a hammer. They also smashed an old cell phone and other things. Everything was left out when I found it sitting in a pile of broken plastic bits. I ask them: "How'd you feel if you came back to your room and saw that your wall had been smashed along with some toys?" They both remain quiet and I continue in a calm, understaniding tone: "I had trouble sleeping last night wondering who did this and if they'd be coming back."

The reason behind their vandalism was obvious to see. I knew that they both had done it but it seemed like the best course of action was to inspire some empathy. Upon talking about it, one of them explained that they had heard that Skip was being kicked off the land. The timinng of this led me to suspect this as the premise almost immediately. They did not know I was staying here. I told them that they are not allowed to come in the Hovel until further notice. Because of their cooperation and the finding of beeded bracelet number 3, I did not inform anyone else of their transgression.

Today the sky has begun with cloud cover once again. The stillness in the air contrasts lastnight's celebratory music. Shaman's Dream performed in the yoga studio and I sat in with the didjeridoo. This band completely rocks. They are music's equivalent of a giant UFO which hovers and then moves at the speed of light defying physics and distorting time. We began the set and ended it with the chant: "Sita Ram".