For Those About to Rock

I love loud music. And by loud I am talking about the type that will shake your fillings outs. In an effort to replicate this at home, in my truck, or in the weightroom, there is just not anyway to duplicate the sound and volume you can get at a concert.

So I find myself in a concert hall last week getting ready for one of my favorite bands, Godsmack, a rock band out of Boston, to take the stage. Fighting all questions in my head about being too old, out of place, and being too tired to be up late on a school night, it happened. Light go out. The guitar rift kicks in from AC/DC's classic: For Those About to Rock, and the music shakes off all those doubts and then I am lost in the excitement of live music.

Time floats by unmeasured, during the 15 songs and as the set is winding down the lead singer has his moment to thank the audience and explain how much better we are compared to every other city they toured at. I know the set up and line, but it doesn't matter, a roar of approval emerges from deep inside and I have fully become part of the group identity. The next part of the soliloquy was the inspiration for this post.

"I don't care what type of music you listen to, just get out and experience it live. Unplug. Feel the energy that happens. An iPod can never duplicate this feeling. Take your family and share that gift with them."

Looks like I am not the only one who has been growing up. The message of getting away from the computer and experiencing things live, resonated with me. People my age have been fortunate to remember life without the Internet, smart phones, GPS, and the rest of the convinces we take for granted. Don't get me wrong, all of those things are great tools that I take full advantage of every day, but every once in a while there has to be time to get away from those crutches and stumble around life because you can.

The easiest way to try this is to venture out to the local farmers market. For years and years I solely did all my grocery shopping in the standard grocery stores and the giant Sam's Club. In that cut off world, void of any connection to how or where your food is produced, has given way to countless answers of "Just build more grocery stores." as the solution to combat food shortages. Now each week, my wife and I head out, sometimes with other friends, and see what is in from the fields. When we check out our town's farmer's market, we make sure to stop by our farmer's table and talk about what's new, get our 5 dozen eggs, pick up the weekly farm share, and talk with other people about what they are cooking with what they've been getting in the farm share.

It took some time before I was comfortable in that crowd. I just keep telling my self that Arnold, Franco Columbu, Sergio Oliva, and Dave Draper were some of the first advocates for organic foods which helped sooth the nerves of being seen out it a group where people are picking banjos, playing spoons, and selling their homemade wears. Now, I am happy to say I have come around to the idea of knowing the farmer by name and am OK with a few spots on my vegetables because I want to know who is helping me prepare for competitions with the food I eat.

So next time you have the time, grab a few bucks and come find me at the farmers market. Who knows, you might just end up in the next blog post!