For the first time...

When was the last time you did something for the first time. I've come across this "new age"y kind of question several times over last couple of years. While I set it aside every time, at least it seemed I was setting it aside, it stayed in the back of my mind reminding me now and again a few things I had always wanted to experiment with.

One of them being participating in an art car parade. Now I say participating as if I'm totally informed and a regular spectator and an enthusiast of the event. Let alone participating, I've never even attended one. Every year on the weekend of the parade something or the other comes up that I find a reason enough to put off going to the parade. One of the hurdles has always been finding somebody who'd enjoy going to this kind of event with me.

This year, this past weekend I thought it was enough of excuses, I've got to go this time. The night before, I dropped off my wife to JK, back at home, I made hot tea, lit a cigarette and sat in the garage while waiting for her to call or text asking me to go get her. (Those not familiar: JK is short for Jamaat Khana, a place of worship that Shia Ismaili Muslims attend). I had an hour and a half or so. As I sat there smoking and sipping tea, I looked at the car in the driveway, it was twilight kind of time, the light and reflection on the hood made me get up, look for the colors and brush, an image of an Eagle sat there on the work bench with so may other references I had collected for scroll saw. I wiped the dust off the hood and before she called I had this Eagle's image staring at me from the hood of my old Camry.

It rained on the way to JK and back and in the next couple of hours the Eagle was half gone, washed away in the rain. But I had the answer to the question, "when was the last time I did something for the first time". I also understood if the answer carries words like, "just last week", "just the other day", etc. the pleasure multiplies a few times when you answer the question.

Saturday, I went to the parade by myself. Part of me said I shouldn't have missed it all these years. I should've been here every year. Another part kind of consoled, there's a time and place for everything. May be there's a reason I am here this time. For the next, I don't know I think a good couple of hours, may be more, I was transported in another world. In front of me were the exquisitely designed moving things they called art cars. But there were bees and birds and beasts and sea creatures and movie characters and plain happy abstract designs and a lot of happy, some weird people, well actually a whole lot of weird people and I didn't think of or miss anything or anybody during that time.

The surge of inspirations, and ideas, for my own art car was keeping me afloat. No "high" like that. At one point I was like sleepwalking. It was entirely another world. The whole experience confirmed and validated I don't belong to the world everybody thinks I belong to. I've always felt I'm a sort of a misfit. I'm doing time. I don't qualify for parole or pardon. But this past Saturday I learned I can be free now and again. And if I be at it, soon I'll be totally free. I've got a whole bunch of things I got to do for the first time. The first one being free and not feel guilty about it; not depend on anybody to join me to freedom; be clear of all rut and routine and enjoy the freedom. 

  https://www.google.com/search?q=houston+artcar+parade&client=firefox-a&hs=7M3&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=fHORUZwTjbGrAdz8gIAH&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=681

Here's the Eagle off the hood of my car. 

The picture above got uploaded with the Eagle. I'm leaving it there. It's the name of my brother's business I scroll sawed this past week.

Now let's see when will be the next time I do something for the first time.

So when was the last time you did something for the first time???