Gypsy, Nomad, Vagabond

Gone and run away with the circus. That's what he's done.

It didn't help that I perpetuated that image. At the time, it functioned as shorthand for conveying the journey upon which I was about to embark. To be sure, there's no Big Top, Lion Tamers, or Daring Young Men on the Flying Trapeze. Children do not run up alongside our caravan as soon as we appear on the outskirts of town. However, we do drive hundreds of miles in a stretch, arrive under cover of darkness, set up our show, open to the public for a limited run - only to break down and depart. Without leaving a trace. Of debris, that is. For if we fail to leave behind something palpable, a giant (non-carbon) footprint or two, showing the way to a more sustainable existence, than we have failed in our mission. To fully comprehend what Sustainable Living Roadshow is doing, it's useful to understand the Latin roots for education. This from Wiki Answers:

'Education' is known to have several root words. It is popularly known to be derived from the Latin root 'educo' meaning to draw out. It also has the root words, 'educare' and 'educere'. Educare, meaning to rear or bring up (referring to child rearing), 'educere' meaning to draw out from within or to lead forth.

We are more than simple gypsies, nomads or vagabonds traveling through the heart-land of America without purpose. We are humble leaders wishing to draw out the primal and ancient knowledge that resides in each and every one of us. Elephant, Donkey, Chimpanzee. Red, White or Blue State. Planet Earth is an island, a mere speck in the vast Milky Way, with limited and dwindling resources. What we do have, here and now more than ever, is an abundance of social capital, along with God-given smarts and an innate ability to bond together for a common cause. It shouldn't take an attack like 9/11. Some fuses just have slower burns.

Loretta Bolt, an SLR's volunteer, formerly a stagehand and steel rigger with Big Apple Circus, shared with me a different way of looking at my opening sentence. According to her, “I wasn't running away with the circus, I was running to the circus, away from the insanity of the world”.

Wasn't sure where I was headed with this entry, Loretta. So thanks for your bolt from the blue. And I don't know whether it qualifies as fiber in my diet, but it sure feels good to have sawdust in my veins.