One of my dearest and closest heartfriends, Daniel, lost his mother last week. He's the writer (not me) so I will keep this brief.
It was he who introduced me to this community of strangers so it seems appropriate for me to dedicate this to him. If I only have your attention until the end of this paragraph then I ask this of you: take a moment to send warmth to Danny and his family in this time of mourning and grief. Take an opportunity to shower a stranger in love at a time when he needs it. (insert prayer/blessing/vibes here) Thank you!!
He himself delivered thoughts via the ListServe on July 28, 2012. In his email entitled "Turn On, Tune In, Take Part", he shared how his first experience with psychedelic mushrooms some ten years prior profoundly transformed the way he moved through reality and engaged with fellow human beings. He said, "It is entirely possible that I would have eventually arrived at this place of joy and compassion without psychedelics, but the point is moot. They have been powerful allies along the path."
A mutual appreciation for psychedelics forged our friendship and we were psychonauts together in our 20s -- sometimes in the depths of NYC's flashy, costumed underground party scene and sometimes in the privacy of our apartments with only the company of each other and a record player. We have grown, moved out of state (then back in my case), learned lessons, shed skins, and shared lots of laughs and tears and hugs since the night we met on April 10th, 2010. I have been honored to bask in his JOY and COMPASSION all these years. As I reflect on our friendship, I burst with love. Though I didn't have the pleasure of meeting his mother, I want to take this opportunity to thank her for raising a man that I am proud to have in my life as friend and Brother.
Browsing the "See Friendship""feature on Facebook, I came across this gem among gems that he wrote on my wall years ago which made me laugh and I hope it makes him laugh too...
"True Story: Last night I had a vivid dream in which you and I were a lounge singer team. You wore a red velvet dress with black elbow-length gloves and were doing this sultry sexy song singing thing, but I was dressed in oversized thick-framed glasses with buckteeth and a spotted bowtie and was nerdtastic and kept pushing you out of the spotlight to do really bad comedy."
He once wrote me this haiku...
rambunctious raptor
eating cookies in the trees;
beccasaurus rex!
So today I write him this...
I hope you and yours
receive this massive worldwide
ListServe love download!
Thank you everyone for reading and for sending Danny comfort.
Be kind to each other. Be joyous. Be compassionate.
With kindness, joy, and compassion,
Becca A.
Brooklyn, NY
[email protected]