Public comment… and enlightenment… [hn photos]

HYANNIS, MASSACHUSETTS – [HN NOTES & MULLINGS ON THE MATTER]

A little bored, meandering, thinking about life and stuff, I came upon a sign along the Ocean Street Docks and learned I wasn’t allowed to feed the waterfowl… and I was like, “goddammit, what the f**k am I gonna do now?”

… and suddenly it occurred to me… there was a town meeting which started only five minutes ago!

By the way, if you’re ever in the mood for new signs and arrows, Barnstable Town Hall will never let you down. Between all the new arrows, signs and markers you’ll never ever get lost. (Which has always been a huge fear of mine…) And I was particularly amused upon finding a locked entrance I normally go through…. which now had a brand-new sign suggesting another door where I might have better luck. I was like, “Thank you very much mister sign maker!” Feeling empowered, I relished the challenge and gave her a go. And man, I’m so glad I did. There was a new arrow around every corner… and one with “visitors” written above it (or below it… I can’t remember)… and being a “visitor” I took the bait… and finally, low and behold, I made it inside, eyes peeled, eager for more signs. And there were plenty. And for all you sign enthusiasts out there, you really have to take a drive down to town hall and make a day of it!

Revved up, stimulated and now invigorated by all the new signs and arrows, I forgot all about being bored! There were parts of my brain now tingling (along with other private areas) that I haven’t felt in years! Holy [bleep!]

And you know what’s really great about these town meetings? If you hang around long enough, you’ll get to see our leaders in action, talking about making even more signs! You know, I have a dream, man… and it’s a dream about new signs. And I can’t wait until there’s a sign covering every square inch of downtown Hyannis! I get more of those tingling sensations just thinking about it! But I digress…

… sorry, this wasn’t supposed to be about signs. Now where was I? Oh yeah… it was supposed to be about “public comment.”

So, I actually made it in time to hear several public comments! but unfortunately, still reeling from all the excitement with the new signs, I didn’t really understand what people were actually talking about. But I can say, it must have been really important because these were great speakers, each and every one! Talk about passion! I mean, I was moved… I didn’t quite understand, but I was moved!

It was awesome! Some of the speakers were very concerned about certain things, reading from notes. Others went freestyle, simultaneously addressing town councilors and “visitors” at the same time. And I had to wonder if all the “visitors” followed the same outside arrows to get there and concluded they probably did… and so now we all had something in common! These were brother and sister sign and arrow followers, which made me feel accepted and understood in a very profound way. I suddenly loved these people. Talk about deep. And some of the speakers were amazing… authoritative and possibly even angry at times and I was like, “Yeah man, you tell ’em! We’re not going to take this shit any longer!”

But then I realized I didn’t entirely understand what they were talking about in the first place, so I just kept things to myself and eventually left.

(Sorry, next time I’ll try to listen harder.)

But man, you want to talk about deep… The entire experience really blew my mind! First, I’m bored silly, disappointed because some of the waterfowl looked really hungry… and then I saw all the signs and it was like my life finally had meaning! It was like I didn’t even need to think anymore, the signs would take care of me. The universe and the immensity of it all suddenly came into focus all at once. I was able to embrace past, present and future in the same instant for the first time ever! Was this what enlightenment looks like?

Am I now a Buddha?

(or at least a Bodhisattva?)