All things considered, I had a fabulous time at Burning Man and I'm still pondering the lessons I learned. To name a few: making meaningful connections, looking for ways I can contribute in my community, being present with people, and being resilient with the weather.
Meaningful Connections
One morning, I woke early and went for a ride. I stopped my bike when I saw a Cafe sign, thinking they might have coffee or a muffin. Instead they handed me a Conversation Menu. I sat down with a complete stranger and had a deep discussion. Each course had 3 or 4 questions and I chose an appetizer question, a main question, and a dessert question. My “breakfast” date was a young guy who yawned hugely throughout (I suspect because he'd been out all night dancing), but was nevertheless completely engaged in our conversation. The first question I chose was “What's something in your life you'd like to be doing but aren't and why not?” He has a one year old and works full time as a physical therapist, so he and his wife had been brainstorming ways he could have a few hours once a week to focus on song writing. I spoke about painting. We talked about what was bringing joy into our lives at the moment (my grand daughter and his son). I'll remember this conversation for a long time. It was a lesson that there's always a way to connect if I'm willing to listen and be vulnerable.
Ways to Contribute
Whether the budget was $2,000, a $200K or a $2M, people made cool art and cool camps. One morning in our coffee camp, a gentleman showed up with his cello. He played beautifully for about an hour. It was fabulous. What a wonderful way to contribute. And then, even more wonderfully, he inspired my daughter Whitney to perform a slam poem. She'd mentioned the poem to me before, but I had no idea she had it memorized. After the applause died down, a woman came up to her and said, "I've been coming to Burning Man every year for the last 10 years and this will be a highlight for me." It was a powerful performance.
Being Present
I was surprised how open and willing to connect people were. I'm not sure why the event brought this out in me and other people. Did removing money from the equation allow for more freedom of connection? Was it partly just being on vacation, which generally allows people to slow down? Was it being in a potentially harsh environment and knowing we only had each other to depend on? Whatever it was, I felt we were willing to be honest and vulnerable. I also felt there was an unwritten code to be honored. What's said on the playa stays on the playa. Anything personal stays between the people who had the conversation.
Being Resilient with the Weather
I've lived in Las Vegas for 31 years. As a person who sunburns easily and, like most of us who've braved a Vegas summer or two, I venture out to exercise only in the early morning and late evening and otherwise go from an air conditioned house to an air conditioned car to air conditioned restaurants/shopping etc. Granted, it never broke a 100 degrees while I was there, but I realized something. If I wanted to get out and see things, I was going to have to be a Brave Little Toaster. I put on some sunscreen, filled my water bottle with electrolytes and hit the dusty trail. And I was just fine. I didn't get a heat stroke. I didn't get sunburned. I have a different attitude now about going out when it's hot.
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