Jacksonville and Greenville Reflection

The past 5 days have been incredible – so many deep emotions, feelings of high, and knowing that the world is filled with good people.
The trip started with a flight to Jacksonville to meet up with Elysia. After checking in to my hotel, I dropped by the GA line the night before and saw a large crowd with tents ready to brave the overnight rains. This inspired me for what was to come.
But first something about Elysia – a wonderful person, full of life and positive energy. It had been almost 3 years since we last reunited in Chicago after first meeting in Berlin. We met many wonderful people that day, but honestly that show felt like it was just for the two of us. Second row in front of Eddie and the band played tight and with a smile on their faces, truly enjoying themselves – a perfect reflection of how I felt the entire day. I loved that she wore the shut and listen shirt. It was sad to leave her behind as I made my trek to Greenville.
I had a day to plan for what was to come, what I considered to be my first (only?) chance to be on the rail at a show. The hardest part was perhaps convincing my loving wife that this was a logical and not insane thing to do. I give her tremendous credit for being understanding yet cautious. We have a wonderful family and doing anything to jeopardize any of it would not be worth it. Ninety percent of the time I am a very logical person, calculating risks and making decisions to ensure the best outcome for all. But I am also very passionate and sometimes that bucket needs to be refilled. That is what this opportunity represented to me – and I am many times grateful to her for supporting this adventure. And not just the Jacksonville and Greenville shows, so much of my happiness I owe to her.
I was barely able to sleep the night before driving to Greenville, and when I arrived, I was greeted by Bob. Bob immediately made me feel at ease when I didn’t really know what to expect. I had some expectations for what I thought would be like, and Bob lived up to it. And soon I got to know Rebekah, Andy and John, followed by Chris and Bre. The seven of us hung out for a while, and slowly more and more started to trickle in and settle down. Over the course of the next twelve hours I got to meet Trevor, Michael, Tammy, Heidi, Abigail, Nicole and many others. All amazing people, and good souls.
Andy – of all the people in Greenville I got to spend the most time with Andy, a science teacher from Chicago. I shared with him all my stories from middle school science classes, and even got to talk shop and geek out a little bit. I always looked up to my teachers because of the doors that they were opening. Teaching is a hard job and not every student appreciates it at the time, or is even grateful. So thank you Andy for what you do! But best of all, I was next to Andy on the rail, and we got to rock out all night long. Your embrace, both figuratively and literally (when swaying to a couple of the songs) is very powerful.
Abigail – I enjoyed talking about adapting, being open to new perspectives, making mistakes, being grateful, raising kids, leadership, hope, sharing struggles and wins, and looking ahead to what the future might bring. It was a brief conversation, but meant a lot to me to be able to share some personal things. Thanks for listening! And then hearing Eddie comment on guns - wishing more people would come around to help eliminate tragedies like Virginia Tech, really brought it home for me. He called it education, and maybe it is, but I would at least ask people to be open to different perspectives.
Nicole - And regarding Eddie’s comment about guns, the one person waiting with us that I did not talk to was Nicole, a surviving Virginia Tech student of that terrible tragedy. But I was so happy nonetheless that Eddie and the band acknowledged her for several reason. First, it meant a lot to Nicole personally. Second, the fact that the band takes time to connect with the people is very powerful. And third, Pearl Jam is not just about the music, they stand for something much more that unites people and provides hope that you can believe in. I shed a tear or two during Present Tense.
Walking into the arena was perhaps the point where I realized how special this was. I was actually sad for a moment that I needed to pick a spot and would be somewhat separated from those I had spent so much time with. As Andy, John, Bob and Rebekah lined up from right to left, I took my spot to Andy’s right, but was soon happy to see Trevor, Tammy and Heidi to my right. Over the course of the night, I enjoyed peeking over the rail and making connections. Sometimes a high five, fist bump or a simple eye contact and a smile (or in my case, the biggest grin you have ever seen!)
Having Eddie’s energy so close was incredible, and contagious. Making eye contact was wonderful – filled with so much love and passion. It is so hard to put my feelings into words, but I know that my heart is full and my spirit is high. I now look forward to passing this feeling, feeling of good, to others that may need it.
The night concluded with some more quality time with Ken and his friends… Dawn, Carolina, Beth, John and many others. It had been an incredible few days, and it was time for it to come to an end. Or maybe just a pause.
No need to be void or save up on life, you got to spend it all.
Looking forward to reconnecting with all soon!
Love! Live!