From the Desk of The DBeazy One-Man-Think-Tank

It is my theory based upon nonscientific observation, that we live within a population of the blind. Life; the pace is so fast and the current so strong, people go through the motions, striving for an undefined prize, with no lasting reward for their toil. They fail to realize the hunger in which they are feeding remains forevermore unsatiated. I’ve been this person, and still have the tendency, running from pillow to post and having no idea of the reason or purpose. Only knowing that if I stop, I’ll fall farther behind.

This past week, I’ve witnessed a spectacular changing moon every evening and allowed the world to slow down around me. I witnessed the clear and the cool changing from one season to the next, and I can’t help but wonder how many weeks like this I missed through the years because I was in the fast lane, looking for a break, just a crease so I could press the gas harder and get out ahead of it all.

Each evening I waited for the moon to show its face and I’d check on its progress as it rose big above the tree line to find its place in the nighttime sky amongst the canopy of stars. I took pictures and I realized that while experienced photographers can manage to capture the total essence of a subject, I possess neither the equipment nor the expertise to do so. Grasping for a description, clutching for an adjective, the beauty, the emotion, the peace, nothing, nothing came close. Then I thought of a comical line from an “Andy Griffith” episode, where Gomer Pyle, describing a beautiful farm scene, says, “It’s a picture no artist could draw.”

I realized the same theme last weekend, by accident, when I found myself on my bike in the midst of “Cruisin’ the Coast” traffic while riding along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The festival, known as “America’s Largest Block Party” is in its 24^th year, and brings thousands of classic cars, antique cars, and hot rods.  Area car clubs and hundreds of volunteers work to hold events from Bay St. Louis to Pascagoula, and spectators line up along the 30 miles of gulf beaches along the way.

Admittedly, I’ve always wondered what the big deal was with classic cars and hot rods and avoided anything south of Wiggins, Mississippi during “Cruisin’” week. But there are those who attend religiously each year and speak of it as if it is just the very highlight of their year.

Saturday, the proposed plan was to check out the newly opened Mississippi Aquarium in Gulfport, then lunch, and a ride along Mississippi Hwy 90 across to Biloxi, before returning home. Traffic began to get tight before making it to I-10 and only got worse from there. It was not before reaching Hwy 90 that I saw the first “Welcome Cruisers” sign.

Lunch was at Shaggy’s in Gulfport on the beach and I kept seeing and hearing the muscle cars. Googling the dates for “Cruisin’ 2020” only served to prove what I had already surmised. Still, the impact of the event failed to dawn on me until I was Eastbound on Hwy 90 aiming toward Biloxi. We passed and were passed by classic cars and trucks, and we met the same from Hwy 90 west. To my right, vehicles were backed in facing the highway instead of the beach. To the left, classic cars parked, campers, picnics set, groups standing, talking, smiles and laughter, all over a common love.

The coming election, the terrible news, the world in the clutch of a pandemic; there was no evidence of any of it here. There were cars. There was the rumble of big engines. There were the spit and sputter of perfectly tuned internal combustion engines and the occasional squall of tires like that of the red ’69 Camaro to my right.

Later, I lay in bed after a full day of riding, site seeing, eating, gambling, and experiencing something for the first time. I recounted the day. I recounted the week. I saw the sights, in my mind, I saw the moon and I saw a gray-colored sixty-something Ford painted intentionally to look as if there were rust spots on it. My conclusions, well, one just can’t describe it. And I mean just that. We all experience things in life and realistically, there just isn’t a way for one to provoke the feelings found in an experience and relay them to the point that justice is done.

In this sense, the moon and Cruisin’ the Coast are very much alike. You just have to experience life for yourself. But one more thing is vital. I opened with a bit of a diatribe with respect to the blindness of people. Regarding Cruisin’, it was not that long ago that I told a friend that I didn’t get it. She may have attempted to describe it to me, I’m not sure, but I immediately put the blinders on.

My point is that life is very short and there are a million experiences out there. To truly live, one needs to do three things. First, one needs to be awake. The old saying, “you snooze, you lose” applies here. Secondly, one needs to be present and accounted for. This means that a closed mind is not an option. One has to be accepting, understanding, and willing to agree that there is often more than one point-of-view. Possessing a narrow set of rules only brings fewer opportunities. Finally, one needs to have their head in the game. Be open to EVERYTHING that life has to offer, from the awe of an October moon to the events at Cruisin’ the Coast. Experience them and realize that there are those who will never buy-in to your excitement.

Just one more thing. If the forty-eleventh named storm of 2020 allows, come Saturday, I will be backed up to the beach, sipping on a cool one and watching the cars.

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