My Life as a Gypsy: a rags-to-rags memoir

E-book word count:15,976 words (63 pages)

Blurb: After college I had my sails set on musical horizons, but instead I found myself getting schooled in survival, mostly. How did I survive such a crazy rollercoaster without turning into a raving lunatic or a depressed fruitcake? I’m not sure. I guess I asked for it, in a way. I took wry pleasure in the twists and turns of a seemingly uncaring Fate – and I wasn’t the only one going through strange wormholes in California. I was a contrarian spirit, pining for adventure, and all too fond of sliding in the opposite direction from EVERYTHING society had prepared me to do!

I shared the tale of my mid 20s and 30s (this gnarly passage of my life journey) with a loved one. Her response? “It would be right up Oprah’s alley. Sure, you had some really wacky and rough times but you didn’t cave in. You didn’t roll over and play dead. You rose above. I think you gotta write the book.”

So I did, and here it is, folks. These truths were stranger than fiction – and some were even fun, too.

 

Audio clip (takes a moment to load):

Book sample (p.18):

A few caps of psilocybin mushrooms into one tropical evening at our Palenque campgrounds, I was introduced to two masters of the drum. One was a joyful Brazilian shaman who had brought along his African drum and his berimbau (a two-note percussion instrument that looks like a primitive hunting bow strung with wire).  The other chap was from France. They saw my zarb and, after a short conference, they decided to take me under their wing for the night.

The shaman built a small campfire near the edge of the forest for the evening’s ritual. Grinning, he chanted native prayers and threw offerings into the fire. Then we formed a triangle and laid down our beat around that primal core.

Something magical began happening. Drumming in our loincloths, we got more and more attuned to subtleties. The shaman sang Amazonian chants through his blindingly wide grin. I kept feeling like I wanted more Fire, so between beats I inched both me and my zarb closer and closer to the flames. Practically crawling onto the burning logs.

My initiators nodded approvingly as I opened up my soul. They encouraged me to rise above my talents, to go beyond my mind’s limitations! Patterns came to my fingers that I had never played before! The two masters actually managed to haul me up to their level of play. All around us, the swirling ambiance of cicadas settled into a pulsing groove, in sync with our beat. The insects were listening, alright! And, from deep in the jungle, the hidden howler monkeys unleashed their bellowing punctuation. Their roars seemed to be saying W-o-o-o-O-O-o-o-o-w! Animals were obviously digging this groove as much as we were. We were all One! There was no denying it.

The hours passed.  I sensed a part of my soul many thousands of years old…


e-book pdf “MY LIFE AS A GYPSY”: $2.99

3 Comments

  1. Wow, you’re such a good writer, and it all flows really well. The main feelings I get from “My Life as a Gypsy” and from “The Great Voyeur”: Innocence, Shyness, Curiosity, Experimentation, Humanity, and (ultimately) Acceptance. Thanks for sharing so much of yourself!

  2. My life as a gypsy captures the spirit and the times. The realization at the end of the travel makes for a strong summary. Could not put down the book and finished in one sitting. Keep up the good work.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*