Some Thoughts on Thinking and Not-Thinking

I try not to think when I’m on vacation.

But when you are full-time ignoring your full-time work, your mind tends to keep working on other stuff.

I’ve been not-thinking thinking up here in the Catskills in Upstate NY.

I’m old enough to have heard about “The Catskills” as an enclave of Borscht-belt comedians working the crowds of Brooklyn families at various hotels and resorts from back in the day.

But what was is not what is.

The region itself is gorgeous. Mountains, woodlands, rolling hills, farms, rivers, lakes, creeks and rustic and reviving towns.

The Catskills is a combination of its influences from its original Native-American roots to farmers to artists to recovering city folks who are either retiring or renovating Main Street and points beyond.

Fun fact: the story of Rip van Winkle takes place here.

On long beautiful drives and seemingly even longer walks and hikes this week, I found myself parking my Spotify on albums and songs by The Band.

This OG roots rock group that was also known as “Bob Dylan’s backing band” was influenced by this part of the world. In fact, The Band wrote and recorded a plethora of their songs just south of Catskill in a pink house in West Saugerties, NY. You can hear the rich output on an album called Music from Big Pink. And even more on another classic called The Basement Tapes.

I love dissecting songs.

First the lyrics, then the arrangement, then I need to hear the story of creation. It’s a full ride from inspiration to the perspiration in the recording studio to the reception in the world.

Inspiration, perspiration, reception. The Band has plenty of all of it.

I guess I’m always a sucker for a good origin story.

I love to know what came before me and how we got to where we are now. And where I fit in.

What are you working on right now? Might the origin story help inform it to make it even stronger? What’s your place in the narrative?

Some things to think about — you know, when you’re not thinking.