A Revelation at 25 Miles an Hour

Last weekend I went to go see Living Daylights and Rockin' Teenage Combo play in a loft just south of Safeco Field. Across the street from warehouses, the space was quite comfortable. There were couches to nap on if you got tired and you have to respect a concert where one of the players (Dara Quinn, RTC's keyboardist) made sure to let me know about the soda in the fridge, since she knew I wouldn't be interested in the kegs. In short, it was a good time. Around 3 AM or so, I dozed off for a bit. When I woke up, the lineup had completely changed and was made up largely of audience members. Long before the music came to a complete stop, it had started to get light outside. By the time I finally staggered out of the building, the sun had risen.

I don't know if this is true of anyone else, but I do my best thinking while in motion. It doesn't seem to matter how I'm moving - walking seems to work as well as driving - but just that movement is happening. It's as though ideas float around in the air and when I move they slap against my head. On my drive home from this show, I was reflecting on the night and last month's column when a thought got sucked in through the air vent and slapped me right between the ears. At first I planned to just ignore it, but it grabbed a frying pan and hit me over the head a few times. I figured that if it was so insistent to get my attention, I should let my loyal readers be aware of this too. The idea is simple, but yet important: the difference between love and infatuation is insecurity.

When I was at the party, I reflected back to how I would have reacted if this had been held a year earlier. "These cool people want to talk to me? Quick, do so before they come to their senses!" "This band is amazing! I can't believe they exist." These days I reacted differently. I made a point of spending time with my friends but I also knew that they weren't going anywhere. Even taking a nap and missing prime party time was ok. There will be other parties.

This is a new experience for me. Most of my time is spent in the infatuation phase. Either I would move or my friends would move or one of us would grow disenchanted. Getting a chance to grow a little jaded is kind of interesting; my New Year's Resolution was to stop freaking out so much over the fact that I have a local group of friends. It's time to trust in it; however something can be learned from infatuation. Just because you're feeling secure doesn't mean you have to act like it. Go out of your way to tell someone you like that they rock. Feel free to go into details. Trust me; it's fun.