One
day, Ileana Vink and I will become off-the-hook Lindy Hoppers like the
ones in this video. But until then I will be happy being a swing
enthusiast. See how swing relates to this post by reading below.
I live my life building for moments too immense to fade, too
stark to be blurred by recollection. But even as I do everything in my power to
build up to these moments, it’s all too often the extemporaneous ones that pull
me in and infuse me with their providence.
I opened the mail on January 14, to find a card from one of
my best friends. Hector, an enigmatic blend of financial pragmatism and
glorious romanticism, had given me an Amazon Gift card to purchase “Switch:
how to change things when change is hard.” This book takes our “Predictably
Irrational” habits and offers constructive outlets to counter their bad
influences. (This gem is going to rock my world and right in the heart of
resolution season!) But it gets better, along with the Amazon card, Hector
wrote the following, “…and you can take solace in your green way because I’m
gifting you .89 metric tons of CO2 emissions. After some shoddy
math, I determined .89 was enough for the production of the book and transport
to your home.” Hector you’re wonderful, and well studied! The carbon offset
certificate came from carbonfund.org. (If
you need any financial or economic advice email Hector at 1hector.marquez@gmail.com. He’s
going to be wildly rich and perhaps one day he will be the chairman of the
Fed.)
This was just the beginning of the sentiment. I also got Janelle Monáe’s cd from my long-lost Swedish
friend Dan. Okay, he’s not really long-lost, nor Swedish, but we took a couple
of Swedish classes together, shared a bond of wanderlust, and if all goes well
Dan will be in Japan by 2013. Anyhow, he used to live in DC with me and now
he’s back in Chicago, hence the long-lost. If you want to learn perfect French,
intermediate German and Swedish, or meet my vote for “most likely to create a
viral youtube series,” email Dan at dkillack@gmail.com.
“Where’s the providence?” you ask. I’m getting there.
On Saturday, January 14, I was sitting at my desk reading “Beijing
Jeep,” trying to get a head-start for my Culture, Organization, and Technology
class when I get a call from Ileana. “…I’m picking you up at 7:15! Wear clothes
that you can move in…but make sure they’re kind of nice.”
At 8:05 pm I was staring at two concentric rows of people in
a large auditorium with wooden floors. A guy in a blue parka was in the middle
of the concentric circles sharing jokes with dance instruction. My beautiful
woman took me out for some swing dancing. In case you don’t know this about me,
I find swing to be the nuclear energy of dancing. It’s the end-all, be-all,
gateway into glory. From swing comes jitterbug and LINDY HOP. It’s fun as all
getup, and one day Ileana and I will be pulling out back flips on the dance
floor.
The thing about swing dance and carbon credits, is that they
are the absolute resonation of true life. Simply put, they make life better for
everyone involved. Ten years ago, in the United States, the environmental
movement was on the fringe. The impacts of our everyday decisions were hardly
thought about and broad measures of sustainability were hardly viable. Now our
environmental consciousness has grown so widespread that carbon credits are up
for purchase, new public buildings have to be LEED certified,
and food is sought to be local
or organic. Everyday people are becoming everyday heroes, and our nation is
getting closer to threshold of sustainability.
On the weekend of January 14 and 15, I celebrated my
birthday, but more than that, I got a chance to celebrate true life and
happiness. In addition to the dancing, Ileana made me a bacon feast with
locally sourced meat. I know I’m being braggy here, but holy shit it was
incredible and guilt free. She’s the
kind of cook that makes carrots seem exotic and comes up with
never-made-before-deserts during rush hour traffic. Hands off gentlemen, she’s
mine! Anyhow, I won’t be able to give the bacon feast its proper acclaim. See
what she has to say about it.
In summary, when the people in your life make an effort to
make your life wonderful it makes living take a new form – think voracious,
bodacious, elations. The people in my life not only held me in their thoughts,
they helped aid me on my quest to true life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness. Thank you for those of you who held me in your thoughts on my
birthday. May sustainability rush to the fore.
Also, a quick shout out to my Mom and Dad, who have been
with me every step of the way to enrolling in Public Policy at George Mason.
Because of them, I have a chance to one day make broad environmental brush
strokes in the spirit of a Teddy
Roosevelt, James Lovelock, or John Muir.
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