Riding High

Nearly ten years ago I started riding in a Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans called the Krewe of Tucks. I had resisted it for a long time due the expense of it all, but once I was convinced to do it, I was hooked.



It's really hard to explain the experience to someone who has never done it. I enjoy the fact that we roll the Saturday before Mardi Gras, during the day and on the uptown route. Those three things mean that the route is heavily populated from start to finish. What that really means is that for a couple of hours a hell of a lot of people treat you as though you are a rock star. Now, I'm not usually the type of person who likes a lot of attention, but somehow this is different. Maybe it's the mask, maybe it's the fact that I'm part of a larger group, I don't know. I do know that people will tell you almost anything to get the $1 pair of beads.



You would be amazed at how many people love me. I know it must be true because countless of them tell me that all along St. Charles Avenue. They wouldn't lie to me, right? You would also be amazed at how many people are in desperate need of toilet sunglasses, plungers, squirting toilets and special toilet paper. As a matter of fact, one gentleman was also in desperate need of a small stuffed turtle that I was about to toss off of the float. I would hate to deprive someone of their much needed turtle fix.



Truth be told for both the float riders and the spectators, it's a moment in time when nothing else matters. All of the problems that we deal with in our every day lives fade away. I find myself smiling for most of the ride and I love the look on someone's face when eye contact is made and the throw is delivered. Kids are the best. They aren't picky like adults are. They are happy with anything that you throw them and they pick up anything that drops on the ground. It's a good feeling because everything that leaves my hands cost me some amount of money and I'd rather not see it left for the street sweepers.



I wish that everyone could see the good side of Mardi Gras. It doesn't have to be all about boobs and alcohol. Don't get me wrong, plenty of people drink on the floats, but that's not the part of the experience that makes you do it over and over again. As a float rider, you get to put smiles on the faces of countless parade goers and as a spectator, you truly get something for nothing. How often does that happen in our day-to-day lives?



I'm already saving up for next year.

Whew

Well, I made it through another Mardi Gras. I'll admit it was touch and go there for a little while. I thought I was going to have to hurt a few people along the way but the good news is that everyone made it out alive and no relationships were ended in the process.

It's interesting that such a fun time can have the potential of causing huge problems, but it's true. It usually has something to do with alcohol and loss of patience, but the truth is that, in general, Mardi Gras can be stressful. I always want to make sure that people have fun and stay safe and those things don't always go hand in hand. We all survived, though, and that counts for something.

Now it's time to return to worrying about what happens next with what's left of my retirement savings. Thank goodness I wasn't looking to call it quits any time soon. I feel sorry for my parents and other people their age who had hoped to earn some extra cash in the stock market before turning in their notice and taking things easy.

Work isn't stable and that's stressful too. Add to all of this the recession and the general direction we're headed as a country. I'm not talking about Pres. Obama, I just think we're on a slippery slope and I'm nervous about what happens next. If history repeats itself things will have to get worse before they get better. The last time the world was in this kind of shape we needed World War II to pull us out of it. What will it take this time? So many countries have atomic weapons now that I'm really scared about where all of this is headed. People are doing horrible things to themselves and their families because they can't deal with the stress of it all. Where does it end?

All of this is a little weighty for my first post in almost a month, but it's on my mind so now it's on "paper." Lighter fare later.