Bulldozer00's Blog

Last Wednesday, I returned home from a six day stint down in New Orleans as an active participant in the greatest party on earth: Mardi Gras! As I write this post seven days later, I’m still suffering from the well-known phenomenon of post-vacation depression. You all know this feeling. It’s the acute, but thankfully temporary, sadness that comes with the requirement to return to “normal” thinking, and doing, and being, after experiencing a glorious reprieve from the grind of responsible daily living.

This year’s MG trip was the fifth consecutive year (and eighth overall) in which: I danced the streets, watched the spectacularly colorful parades and creative street acts, tossed and caught beads from balconies, ate Po-boys/Muffalettas/Jambalaya/Beignets, and joyfully bathed in the fabulous sights, sounds, and atmosphere that is unique to Mardi Gras.

The Mardi Gras experience is difficult to describe to non-participants. It’s a time and place where 100s of thousands of people converge into one great big ball of intertwined happiness and generosity; and this includes the battalions of local and state police tasked to maintain a semblance of order amongst the cheerful, self-organized chaos.

With all the booze and energy that flows, you would think that many incidents of malfeasance and ill-will take place during the festivities. But remarkably, there are very few. That’s because we travel the streets in the French quarter with smiles on our faces, free and unburdened minds, and we savor each and every present moment as it unfolds. Ironically, the only unfriendly and uptight people at MG are the small clusters of self-righteous Jesus freaks sporting annoying bullhorns and big, nasty signs. They march around passing judgement down upon people they don’t know anything about.

I can’t wait till next year. I’ve already marked my calendar for Fat Tuesday: Feb 17, 2015. Perhaps you might want to mark yours too!

Rainee, this post is for you 🙂