The Coolest Casual Encounter Ever

The other day I was driving up Pine St on my way to do a BodyTalk session when what to my wondering eyes should appear but an old, well-loved minivan with the words "Moonlight Chronicles" printed on the rear doors.

I pulled my car over so fast I practically caused an accident. I parked across a crosswalk and jumped out. Because there can only be one Moonlight Chronicles and here was the van, in Ellensburg!

Okay, you probably haven't heard of Moonlight Chronicles, which is a small indie publication written and charmingly illustrated by Dan Price. Maybe you've heard of his book Radical Simplicity, which I highly recommend. In a nutshell, this guy is absolutely one of a kind. He wanders the earth, often on foot or travel-tricycle, sharing his observations in his zine, and when the season is right, he lives in Eastern Oregon in an evolving arrangement of ultra-simple living setups on an old horse pasture outside of town. The latest I know of is an underground dugout lined with carpet. Anyway you might think he was really strange but he's not strange; he's so regular that it has the effect of truly inspiring a common person (like me) to remember that all the trappings of "modern life" truly are optional.

Dan Price is a free man. That's a rare bird these days.

Anyhow I parked kitty-wompus across the crosswalk, jumped out and said, "Are you the Moonlight Chronicles guy?" I forgot his name in the excitement. For not only was his van parked on my street, but he was in the driver's seat with the door open, seemingly not in a hurry. (I was in a hurry. I am not as free as Dan Price.) He said indeed he was the Moonlight Chronicles guy and as I shook his hand (warm, pleasantly rough) he gave me the secure, grounded feeling of being inside by a fireplace while snow falls outside the window. Really.

I should also mention that while most people would recoil back inside the safety of their van to see the likes of me screech to the side of the road, leap out and attack with overjoy, Dan was very friendly. He rooted around his van and gave me a few copies of the Chronicles. I got his address so I could send him some Handmade Life copies. Overall he acted like we were old acquaintances who had lost each other's phone numbers. He was a gracious guy.

And that was my miracle of the month.