…until the gates open at Black Rock City, the home of Burning Man. To say this day can’t come soon enough would be the mother of all understatements.

Many have said they can’t describe their experience at Burning Man, only that it is life-changing and beyond the true definition of the word “awesome”. I took these affirmations, like most such statements, with a big grain of salt. That was before I participated in Burining Man myself. I now understand.

It’s a strange experience, this Burning Man. A phenomenon really. I won’t go into describing my experience because honestly I can’t put it into words (sound familiar?). What I will say, though, is that this particular week in the Black Rock Desert is very very very intense. So much so (and one doesn’t realize this at the time) that it takes a serious amount of resolve and focus to “decompress” and assimilate back into the norms of society. Things like seeing birds flying (Burning Man takes place in an alkali dry lake bed – no bugs, animals, vegetation, nothing), traffic, and the seemingly complete self-absorbed vibe most people seem to exude, seem completely foreign after a week of immersion in a overly giving and commerce-free society. My experience at Burning Man 2007 was like nothing before it (note that I was chemical-free the entire time), and I’ve reflected on some piece of that experience every day since. Every. Single. Day.

Needless to say, I’m more than looking foward to this year’s event. The theme “The American Dream” is quite interesting – all of the positive, negative, and downright weird things that notion represents. I’m quite curious to see what folks come up with. Like last year, I prepare (for what I fully expect to be an annual pilgrimage) with no preconceptions or specific expectations…only that I will learn many new things, make many new friends, have a fantastic time and then, slowly, return to life – “the Default World” – in anticipation of Burning Man 2009.

((W))