Today marks one week since I returned to days of habit after my ten-day retreat to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia. Every time I return to that area, I locate a special sense of soul rejuvenation. This year was a bit different than previous years. Rather than hitting the road for a daily dose of off the beaten path exploratory field trips, I anchored myself to the cabin by the lake for a week.
Read MoreBlue Ridge
A Morning of Levels /
I sipped coffee by the lake this morning just to process this day infamously and always to be known as 9/11. Sitting in the Blue Ridge sunshine, I remembered watching the events of that morning. It remains a day of horrors as the world changed and unfolded minute by minute. Despite the ugliness of the day, the heroes were the winners - the coworkers, the bystanders, the emergency response personnel, the nurses, the single parents, the teachers, the rich, the poor, the hurting, and the Average Joe.
Read Moreas big a gift /
Reminders of You ©2013 Gary Garbett
As the sunshine warmed my face, I sipped my morning coffee during my commute to the east. Listening to what the words had to say, these lyrics were as big a gift as the day.
Babies get born Even in a war I guess just to show us What livin's for
Thank you Dwight.
Added Floyd to the List /
We've all heard of CBGB's, the Sunset Strip, Gilley's, and Music Row in Nashville, each responsible for their own personal mark on the music world. Without discrediting any of those famous musical havens, I'd like to also add downtown Floyd, Virginia to the list.
If you have a Friday night free, this is the place to be. Casually parading along South Locust Street with real American small town folk of all ages, listening to real homegrown music in alleys, street corners, park benches, barbershops, and wherever else a tune can be shared. Floyd is as genuine as it gets.
When I arrived, I'd planned to spend about an hour or so, just for the experience. Nearly six hours later, I walked to my car with a bounce to my step and the sweet touch of southwest Virginia on my soul.
As I left the small mountain town with a population of 432 that evening, I was convinced of a few things that I wasn't aware of when I arrived hours before the sunlight faded. Real people. Real music. Real life. Damn right… Floyd is a musical Mecca.