The relentlessly restless summer continueth. In t-minus 40 hours and some change, I’ll emerge (briefly) from my mystical mountain getaway, step into one of these jet airliners, and make my supersonic way up to Gotham.

Ostensibly to see a music show. But really it’s a pilgrimage. I swear.

I have done this before.

I am a pilgrim. And a misfit.

This is what I do.

And then I write about it.

Turns out, I’m writing a Bigger Thing about it (who knew?) — one that will take a while, that has already taken a while — and it may never see the light of day. It incorporates stuff I’ve written on this topic before (is it a topic or is it more of a vein?), in this space and in others. Also stuff I’m writing now and stuff I’ve yet to write or even imagine.

The who knew? part is not so much to say this thing has sprung itself on my creative spirit, unbidden. More to say that I didn’t know until now that all these separate-but-related things I’ve been imagining/re-imagining, working/re-working, thinking/re-thinking are more than just distant relatives: they’re really all part-and-parcel of one Big(ger) Thing.

This Bigger Thing is about misfits and pilgrimages, of course. So it’s about our gods and monsters, about our gurus, avatars, and muses. And our music. It’s also about our fathers and sons, brothers and sisters, mothers and daughters.

Which is really just to say:

This Bigger Thing is about the bigger versions of ourselves. And the Place(s) in the World  where we find Ourselves.

But mostly I guess — surprise, surprise — it’s about me. It has embarrassing revelations in it. TMI. Etc. As such, there’s a fair chance maybe it’s only for me. Time will tell. I’m not really worried about it, though, and my guess is you aren’t either. So it’s a win-win on that front.

Anyway, regardless of all that, there’s not enough room for all of it here in this space. Never will be. (There’s a very good chance there’s not enough room for it [never will be] in the space between my ears either.) It really is a Bigger Thing.

But! Anyway.

In the meantime, as all that gets sorted out (or not), I am gonna write a plain record of this latest crazy junket cum Misfit Pilgrimage. As plain as I can make it, anyway, which maybe isn’t very plain, but this might help: I’ve decided to do it in the form of a series of 30 Things(es) I Love Right Now. In “real time” (sort of). As it happens. 24 Hours at the tail end of June in the Greatest City in the World. Complete with Gurus. Muses. And Music. Etc.

That’s what makes these pilgrimages Pilgrimages for me. The noticing-and-documenting part. The heightened awareness. The going and the putting it down, in words and sounds and images.

Also — be forewarned:

I’ll be doing something similar for when I go to the Grand Canyon next month. (That is, if that particular Eternal Void is not a fiery pit of Hell by then. Or maybe that would make the trip even more of a spiritual journey…)

So. Yes. As always: stay tuned. Vicarious thrills, tomfoolery, and hijinks of the highest order are sure to follow here shortly.