I broke up with Burning Man this week. It wasn't contentious or anything, it was just time for me to move on. I've been feeling a need for stability, and orchestrating my life around 6 weeks in the desert every year doesn't seem to contribute to my efforts very well.
As luck and the universe would have it an opportunity arrived at just the right time, and I took it. I'm going back into the kitchen. This time is less of an experiment and more of a lifestyle change. It just suddenly became clear what to do with myself in Life 3.0
I've been preaching about this simplified life I'm trying to achieve a couple of years now, and it occurred to me that having a string of temporary jobs isn't simple at all, especially at tax time. When I went in to stage (pronounced "stazhje") at this new kitchen, I told the Chef that I was looking for a "home." I meant it. I like being part of something, part of a team, which is maybe why I worked for Burning Man so long. But, in order to achieve a simpler life, being part of a kitchen seems like a better choice. It's a year-round job, guaranteed hours, even benefits. The decision in truth was quite easy.
But, it's still hard to leave something that was a kind of life raft for me as I traversed a lot of big changes. Burning Man was a constant for me when so many other things in my life were uncertain. I never wanted to feel like Burning Man was fulfilling some existential need in my life, but apparently it was. Coming to terms with that is a little confusing for me.
For now, I'm happy that there will be some stability in my future. I'm putting down tent stakes and for once they're not in the desert. It feels good, really good.
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