When I got to my hostel room, my funky little hostel room, I sat to get grounded and recharged in a meditation that was interrupted only by a random buzzing of my phone timer. It felt way too soon to have been twenty minutes, and at first I didn't check my phone at all. Then a thought occurred, what if I had just had a very focused moment where I lost time? So I grabbed the phone, just to see these numbers ticking past: 11:12, 11:11...
I smiled and laughed to myself, put down my phone and said thank you thank you in my heart.
I emerged shortly thereafter to find my way to the venue where the U2 tribe would soon be doing their evening check in dance for the GA line that had begun to form on Tuesday night. The walk through Vancouver was wonderful, and I stopped to take photos of flowers glistening with raindrops behind the hostel, and a strange statue of cars sitting on top of each other, as I approached the venue BC Place.
I walked around BC Place, in the midst of the city center, with an eye out for the venue back entrance that I had seen online over the last few days with band members greeting, signing, and selfie quick-posing for fans. There were a couple of fans with whom I chatted briefly once I found the spot. There was no action at the back entrance, though, and I soon moved back up to the front of the building where the GA line was beginning to buzz with evening check in.
I met so many fans for the first time, fans that I felt I knew from months or years of regular connection on FaceBook. One fan I thought I had met, and who was gracious enough to greet me as if we had met, was the beloved Brigitte Rebecca, who was seen onstage during the 2015 tour, and was known at that time to always wear lemon. She was the one with the beautiful loving smile and the open gaze whom Bono had reached out to touch during the Paris DVD performance of 'Until the End of The World". When I saw her with my friend Margaret, who had stood by me in Denver as I gave irises to Bono in 2015, I went to both of them with hugs and Brigitte greeted me charmingly with the French tradition of cheek to cheek touches on either side. I soon realized that we had not yet met before this, and that in fact it did not matter.
Margaret's mother Ruth was also there, and she was charming with her stories of chatting to Bono on his birthday, at the informal fan meet and greet the day before. Soon we went on to the fan gathering spot for the night (called The Pint, where I wouldn't be having one of those as I had quit drinking at the time of my psychic break 18 months prior and I had no plans to start up again anytime and certainly not now). We found a space to sit and just soaked in the loveliness of being amidst our U2 tribe again.
I soon realized that in spite of the meticulous preparation I had made of gifts to give the band, I would not be needing to meet any of the band this late spring to have an incredibly joyful experience. I was already there, in joy. In fact, across the table from me sat beautiful Joy from the Chicago i/e stage, with whom I had connected on Facebook two years prior and was only meeting in person for the first time on this night. Yes we were all home again, and I drank lots of water while others enjoyed their beers, and we sang along to U2 songs together, and I talked a bit with Margaret about the choice to drink water instead of alcohol, and how grateful I was to be free of that compulsion on this night.
The rain was coming down outside when I reluctantly chose to depart for some rest. I was already short on sleep and the tour hadn't actually begun yet. As I left the bar, the rain was pouring down. I saw a fresh pizza by the slice spot and realized I hadn't eaten all afternoon. So I popped in and had a vegetarian slice. As I was getting myself together to go, the man behind the counter said, "Where is your umbrella?" while the rain poured down insistently across the shining streets. "I don't have one," I replied.
"But it is raining," he stated, and I agreed with him on that. Then he turned around and reached up to grab an umbrella from a collection I saw sitting on a high countertop, saying to me, "Here, you take this one and you can bring it back later," in his lovely French sounding accent. I was touched, and I gushed, "Oh what a wonderful thing, I will bring this back to you tomorrow! I appreciate you!" He smiled and nodded as I went on my way in blissful gratitude for a universe that continued to yield miracles, moving through these miracle days.
Soon enough, back to the hostel, where I peeled off wet socks and shoes and hung them up, then curled up in the bottom bunk in my private room for a brief sleep. The day before Day 1 of 40 days from May 12, 2017 at opening night in Vancouver, to June 20 in D.C. for the summer solstice show, was finally done, and on the other side of sleep... opening night!
No comments:
Post a Comment