Wednesday, October 3, 2012

The Foundation

posted by Chris Bangs


Some where in New Mexico,
Lost in a forest
With nothing to do
I spit in the sand,
and chalk my hands.

Life took on a new meaning
the moment my feet left the ground.
The searching,
And the training,
Everything was paying off.
Zen is happening in my life!!!

No thoughts
No worries
No where else to be but in this moment.




Why be a dirtbag?
Because you want it! That's why. You want the freedom, the earth, and your feet on the ground,,,, how do I know this? Because I watch the news. I see the sadness in the rich persons eyes because there is no connection, to themselves, to the earth, to their mothers and their fathers, and especially to each other.

One cold rainy day in Alaska, Rio (Old Rad Dog Rio) and I were picked up hitchhiking by a nice guy in a new Porsche. Cool I thought. I'm in a new Porsche with my dirty dog getting mud on this guys seats. This is going to be interesting.... Let's see where this goes.

As usual with hitching a ride on a rainy day. The conversation started out, "boy I wouldn't want to be you right now, stuck out in the rain."

Then just as usual (as it has always been in my life on the road) the conversation shifted. The driver of the hot little red sports car started asking me questions about my life, and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was not poor or destitute. I was living.

I had just hitched all the way from Montana to Alaska, spent a winter living the forest, climbing mountains with my dog Rio and then skiing back down to my tent, and my bag of dry beans, and my forest friends. The squirrels, moose, and little voles that I feed at night.

To make a long story short (my life has a bit of the infinity in it, as I go on forever),,,, by the time I got out of the $100,000 cherry red 911 Porsche Carrera t-top,,,,, the poor sap wanted to trade me lives. Too bad, I've got no use for a stupid little status symbol in my life. I'll take the rain and the wind in my face. I'll take the good times with the bad. The days of feasting and the days of famine. Because this is life, and we were meant to live it, raw, real, and without compromise.

It's not that I wanted to be the catalyst for somebodies mid-life crisis,,,, but a wake up call is a wake up call. As a matter of fact, the happiest people I know are dirtbags. They have learned to accept life, to accept the good and the bad without attachment.







Mountains


Rain forests


Grasslands

Wetlands


The Foundation is not something that you can buy, rent, or steal; but a metaphor for your life. The Earth is infinitely more beautiful more than anything man can create. Protect her with your life!

2 comments:

  1. Old dog Rio! Wow, we are going back a long way Chris. Miss that dog! I still remember sitting on my couch and I was eating something and he sure wanted it and he was good at slobbering and breathing in my face to get it. Ha ha. thanks for the memory.

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    1. Rio is a hard one to forget that's for sure. Those where definitely good times times sitting on the couch together, eh. (that's canadian slang cause like my wife is canadian eh.)

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