My occasional visits home to MA truly reinvigorate my spirit. Surrounded by friends and family, I feel the sense of refreshment and renewal necessary to prepare me for my return to dusty, impersonal Arizona. Kinda reminds me of this favorite Beach Boys lyric from “You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone” off their obscure 1972 album “Carl and the Passions – So Tough”:

I need a breeze blowing softly
To keep my wind vane from standing
I need a whole lot of sunshine
To keep my sundial advancing
I need some soil ‘fore my grass will grow
I need some spark to make my candle glow

Relief, i cried
Ain’t no shuck ‘n’ jive
I need a mess of help to stand alone

I need a spark by a fire
To stop the cold of my winter
I need a burst of your raindrops
To keep a flow in my river
I need a call for my phone will ring
I need your song for my voice will sing

Please realize
I’m not half alive
Without a mess of help to stand alone

No matter what your situation, it is through each other that our individual rivers are nourished and replenished. May we always recognize it to be so.