Thursday 12 October 2017

Sigh.

Well, I guess it's time to talk about it.

At least a little.

I didn't go to Burning Man this year.

I'm not terribly thrilled about that, nor was it an easy decision to make, but I did write down a bunch of pros and cons on a list and I kept the "Pros of not going" list to share.

So... here are the reasons it was + for me NOT to go...

+  I would get some money back (I was able to sell my ticket, and get my camp dues back... I was going to stay with a big camp this year for the first time.  I lost some in the exchange rate back and forth, but I did at least get some money back and money is very tight for me these days so that was a plus)

+ I would have less stress (especially around the travel portion)

+ I would not have to deal with all the dust

+ I would not have to deal with the heat that I was not well prepared for (and apparently it was one of the hottest years in a long long time... I don't think my body would have handled that all that well this year, especially if I'd been back in a tent...)

+ No sore spots from bike riding.  (I hadn't been on a bike, beyond at the gym for a few, since last August since my bike has been stranded with my van, so I wasn't even able to pre-prepare my bottom and legs and all the rest for the biking.  And even when I have been able to bike pre-August, I still get bike sores.  It's a lot of riding and the dust [see above] causes chafing if you wear shorts or a skirt.  So, none of that.)

+  Choosing not to go would mean I wouldn't have to stress about the state of my gear, van, bike, etc.  And I wasn't prepared to go to Burning Man without my gear in good shape.  So not going meant no more wondering about that.

+ I would not risk getting a UTI.  (Not sure if I've mentioned it before but the playa's alkalinity can wreak havoc on women's urinary tracts and I often come back with things less than joyous "down there"... even though I load up on cranberry.  Not going eliminated that risk entirely)

+ I would not have the September cough I always seem to get when I return.  (Maybe "playa lung", maybe co-incidence... probably all the dust getting stuck in my lungs.)

+ No weird feet thing.  (There's been something the last few years where I return and my toes get weird.  It's not athlete's foot, but it's like my feet don't like being in that environment for a week and then coming back home to damp and socks and shoes... I don't know.  All I know is it only happens post Burning Man)

+ I would have a flush toilet, running water, my own bed, food, a fridge!, as much ice as I wanted from my freezer, oh and did I mention a flush toilet?  for the week.

Yeah.

I didn't keep the Cons of not going list, but it was mainly to do with not seeing people, not seeing things, art, not being there, not being in the dust in that beautiful environment, not going five years in a row, and being disappointed.

As it turns out I think it was a good year to have missed, for a few reasons.  Although I would still have liked to have gone.  Or to have been able to go, I should say.  Because really, I wasn't able to go this year.

And that sucked.

3 comments:

Jason Langlois said...

Sorry and sad you didn't make it, but your list is pretty strong.

Elliott said...

That list is full of very good reasons for not going...your physical health being high up there.

I know you were very sad to miss it and I'm sorry you didn't get there.

Victoria said...

Yeah, it was (is) a strong list... didn't really help though :/

Thanks Elliott... and yeah, it's hard on your health... or mine at least.