Viva la Vida

In its simplest form it means, "Live the Life."

We have all been guilty of not truly pulling that off. The "business" of life along with the complications, commitments and responsibilities do get in the way of the whole "living" thing. It's a shame. We only get one ride here.

Last month I had an experience I never even dreamed about let alone engage in. I went to Africa to visit my daughter. She has lived the last two years in Kenya. While visiting Africa and seeing my kid was way more than enough to be over the moon for, she saw to it that we were going to do some "stuff." That "stuff" included a marvelous 3 day safari in the Mara, visiting an elephant orphanage in Kenya and flying to Rwanda to see the great apes. It was the whole “Gorillas in the Mist” experience. But it was far more than that!

While I have heard of “life changing or altering experiences” I am not really sure I have ever lived one. Yes, marriage, children, death of friends and family and all the other screwballs that life throws at you do in fact change your life. But, they are all somewhat expected and anticipated. You pretty much know whats coming at you when you jump into this whole life pool. I was not expecting this!

Getting up at 5:00 in the morning and heading out to a basecamp to group up and start “tracking” gorillas is not an everyday thing. Getting together with 5 other people and heading to a foot of a mountain, not having any idea whatsoever where the gorillas are and how long you are going to be tracking them is completely foreign as well. Making your way through the mist, up hills and mountains and then breaking your way through a bamboo forest is not something you ever thought of. But, I have to tell you for the first 3 hours of this trek I have never felt that kind of anticipation, excitement or energy. I mean…we were doing this!

Finally we broke into a clearing and our trackers said we were in fact very close. We were told to drop everything but our cameras and thence were instructed on how to behave around the gorillas. No direct eye contact, no rapid movements, no closer than 6 feet, no loud talking or screaming. There were other details but I won’t bore you with them. But…we were close! We were going to see them…soon.

I was in front and as we broke away from the large clearing into the thick forest again a large black shadow flashed across my path. Then another! In moments we were in fact, surrounded by 20 + gorillas. Older and very big “black backs”, rambunctious teens, mothers, about 6 babies. …And one very large silver back! For the next hour, you are only allowed to spend one hour with these majestic beasts, we were part of their clan. I did take photos at the beginning but after a very short while you had to put the camera away and…well…live life. You had to be in the moment, experience it as it played out.

More than once I had to wipe a tear from my eye as I experienced this. This was something that in no way could ever live up to the hype or expectation and here it was, greater and more fulfilling than I ever, in my wildest imagination, ever imagined. I have never in my entire life been bulled over like this. Feelings and images that you knew when they were playing out were going to stay with you the rest of your life.

The hour was over in a moment and we had to start our way back down the mountain and leave our new “friends.” You really don’t talk after something like this. A group of strangers simply made their way back down the mountain through the mist completely alone with their thoughts and emotions. It took a long time to really come to grips with it. I still don’t think I have completely. But it changed me. I didn’t know much but I did know that. It changed me.

I’m back home now. Everyone is getting back down to work, auditions, shoots, the bull shit stuff that gets in the way. Or does it? Maybe its there for you to discover. Maybe its there so you may finally wake up and do something about it. Maybe it’s a great big signpost that is warning you, WAKE UP!

I am. Changes are coming. Major changes. Need to get back to the shit that is really…REALLY important. Some people may understand, some may not. Who cares. It has to happen. It has to get done. I’ve been sleeping a little bit to long here.

Hey, all I can do is thank the gorillas!