When I was on the high school cross country team, I’d walk or run the entire course before the race. I’d identify the hills, the pitfalls, the puddles and mud, the choke points and the opportunities. I’d make the courses my own, even though I’d never set eyes on them before. And that’s what I’d do now.

“So you play with it. If you can pretend they’re wearing bunny ears while you’re eating their expensive food, it’s the most exciting time in your life.”

“Everybody has moments of doubt when they think, ‘What the hell’s going to happen next?’” Maynard would explain. “And then you find out.”

I’m hoping that I’m not out here for nothing. You’re looking for acceptance in whatever form it might take, whether it’s a young German lady smiling at you, or some guy who’s excited because a song blew his mind, or an older dude who came to the show with his younger brother. You didn’t expect he’d like this music, but somehow it resonated with

I could keep doing this thing that was completely awesome chaos, or I could follow this opportunity to actually express my own ideas. Green Jellö was fun, but it would always be Bill’s thing, and I would just be a performer in the circus.”

once you understand the nature of nature, you can let go of difficulties and sign on for the ride—knowing that it’s just a ride.

Our actions weren’t directed at anybody in particular. But we’d been so beaten down, and finally there was light.

“In order to write effectively, you have to write from the spot you’re standing in,” Maynard would explain. “You have to tap into the pure emotion of where you are, but also the broader picture, the Joseph Campbell of it all.”

his certainty that taking one step after the next could propel him toward his deepest desires.