Toddstock: Monday 6.16.08

We continued to meet some great people. Chuck and I both have an introverted side to our temperament and so it takes a great deal of energy for us to small talk. Not so here. Todd/music was the common denominator so any question such as, “How many times have you seen Todd in concert?” was an immediate conversation starter. We realized pretty quickly that we were amateurs compared to the people who had seen him 60 or 70 times. There was a noncompetitive spirit about the camp so we were still welcomed even with the handful of times that we had actually seen Todd. Chuck has played Todd’s music whenever possible in bands and even in worship in churches.

We met a beautiful lady named Mary who came to camp by herself. Her husband has an aggressive form of MS and he was gracious enough to give her the gift of this week. She struck me as a devoted caregiver in much need of this time to recharge her spirit. She has physical problems herself (as most of us did since this wasn’t a Woodstock generation) and she was so filled with energy from other people and being near Todd and Michele. Her story touched our hearts and I continue to ask the source of love to be very kind to her.

I met a lady, Mary Ann and her husband, Larry. He is 67 and I didn't catch her age. Mary Ann had only discovered Todd’s music six months ago and was consumed by it. She had printed off the words to songs and had compiled them in a notebook. It was one of the things she asked Todd to sign for her. She really resonated with his words. One of his songs, The Last Ride, came through the speakers and tears started rolling down her face. The words spoke to her at such a deep level that the only way to describe the connection is to call it spiritual. Even though our ages were not that far apart I still found that she was very inspiring to me because I hope I always look for those things that speak to my heart. The concert on Sunday was the first concert of Todd’s that she had actually seen live. She and her husband enjoyed it immensely. They were the ones who had brought Todd the walking stick which he carried during the hike. They also brought jewelry for Michele and I think it was the night of the Luau that she wore their gift.

There were so many great people – I can only name a few as I blog about this event. I just kept saying during the week – of all the places to be on the earth at this time – this was the place to be. It was simultaneously surreal and, yet, very centered. Very difficult to explain but the people who were there know what I mean.

Day 3 was the day we went looking for a different extension cord for Chuck’s sleep apnea machine that he was using in the tent. Most of us were of a mature age which required an electrical box in the tent that housed the camping tents because of the number of people using CPAP machines. Michele referred to us as a Papper colony - better than being a leper colony! Chuck discovered that the CPAP machine has a dual purpose – was great for blowing up air mattresses!