Honoring Naked City, 7:16

Desire; Noun, a strong feeling of wanting to have something,
or wishing for something to happen
Desire and yearning are closely related. We humans desire connection
We yearn for connection
We yearn to be enough
We desire to be loved for who we are
Bernie and Gina, Gina and Bernie
You have designed and built a safe place, a nest if you will, for all of us to express ourselves. The evidence is clear and it is a gift.
What do I desire? you ask? Connection! I have longed my entire life for a sense of community. To be connected.
Over time I have learned connection required two things from me
A sense of self. I must give myself permission to be me
And, I must trust, trust there are other humans whose minds work like mine. Trust does not come out of compromise, trust is grown out of commitment.

Brothers and sisters, we are gathered here this evening, not to grieve, but to celebrate the transmogrification of Naked City.
And, just exactly what is Naked City?
It is clearly, the un-holy spawn of Gina and Bernie
I am not privy to the circumstances of its conception.
Some stories should remain untold.
But, out of those frenzied moments Naked City was conceived.
Most of us have gotten way too stoned, immersed in the ensuing giggling and high talk and subsequently glued to the couch.
To actually take action on an idea that crawled out of that swamp of moral turpitude. Well, that is a testament to commitment and trust.
To collaborate with another human for four years, creating themes, filling prize bags, digging into the dark places and designing fiendishly elegant punishments and, yes, to promote and encourage the use of adult juice boxes.
All of this and so much more. Each tiny piece woven like the twigs that make up a robin’s nest.
Each of us here tonight, and everyone that has stood behind this lectern, trying desperately not to slobber on the microphone,
terrified of showing our asses, we honor you both.
Bernie and Gina, four years, month after month each of you bringing your little rays of sunshine into our lives. Each of us, a twig in this nest. Carefully placed, integral to the whole. Without any single piece it would not be complete. It would not have been this perfect.
How do I craft meaningful words to thank you?
To thank you for your courage and bravery.
To thank you for your desire for a bigger, brighter world,
oozing with creativity.
How do I acknowledge your art, your creativity your commitment?
Bernie, scampering off to Portland. May your odyssey be filled with adventure. As you seek what you lust for, as you heed your desires. Know in your heart, you are loved and you will be missed. Thank you for being you
And Gina,
We love you, we look forward to more wackery with you.
We understand the unsettling nature of change. You have both been kissed by Shiva, the destroyer and the creator. We understand.
That place is pretty much where all humans live. It is with a combination of luck and consciousness that some of us get to sit for a moment with Shiva.
Thank you for Naked City
Thank you for attracting this amazing group of artists.
We are grateful for the chance to have spent a moment with you both.

“I am so alone” whispered the wave
And the ocean replied
“We are all inextricably connected.
I love you”