I’ve had a revelatory experience. I was driving somewhere a couple of weeks ago feeling kind of nauseous. No surprise there, happens most of the time. I put on this song by my friend Taylor Kopp, which I really love. It’s the most beautiful, soothing, cyclical song which sends me into kind of a focused rapture. It’s a state which all my favourite music can bring. What was different about this experience was that I noticed, after listening to the song a couple of times, that I had stopped feeling sick. I’ve been feeling nauseous like that on and off for most of my life, and have shied away from many foods because of it. But here I was, cured, by nothing more or less than a song.

Since then I have been on a mission: to feel calm! I’m permanently on watch for any sign of tension, of anxiety, of worry. Man, when you open that can of worms, be prepared to rehouse a whole lotta worms. But the results have been incredible to me. I ate, two days in a row, NON-GLUTEN FREE ENGLISH MUFFINS for breakfast, and felt fine. These muffins were made with WHEAT. Wheat, the grain. And barley. Barley! Granted, this particular brand uses sprouted grains, so are easier to digest. But still! Sprouted ain’t GF! I did not, did NOT feel nauseous.

Well, obviously that was the headline. “Portland man eats non-gluten free muffin, feels fine”. Actually, that would probably turn a lot of heads around here. In other news though, I played a gig last night which was a lot of fun. It was kind of late in the evening, and the bar was pretty empty by the time I played. But for the few who were there, it was special. I feel like I’m starting to understand how to relax on stage and have fun, and I think the people there felt that too. I was grateful.