The Invasion of the Fedoras

Written By: Catherine  McGuire

THE INVASION OF THE FEDORAS

By Catherine McGuire

All I wanted was My favorite breakfast sandwich from My favorite place all within My time frame.  MY, My, My!!!  I am blessed to live full time in Montauk and this two year old living in a 56 year old body is agitated by the crowds.  What normally takes me ten minutes to achieve is now taking an hour.  What nerve!!!  Who do these people think they are?!  “The Entitlement Generation.”  I slowed down to let a young family cross the street.  They seemed to slow down their pace to a crawl, no thank you, no wave of a hand, just a blank stare!  October can’t come fast enough!!!  I used to say September but “these

fedora beings” know the secret…the fall is gorgeous here so they keep on coming.

Cathy, STOP!  You love the summer…is it possible you are wishing it away as well as the seasons of your life?  You judgmental fool!!!  There I go talking to myself…this is becoming a habit.  However, this voice is making sense.  I live in paradise.  These fedora beings are entitled to enjoy this beautiful piece of earth I am lucky enough to call HOME.  And…each of these fedoras has a name, a family, a story of their own.  Could it be the deeper lesson as I attempt to “run” my errands amidst the masses is to stop “running”.  Slow down, smile, look into each pair of eyes rather than at the hat on their head.  After all this chatter full of judgment, aggravation, and impatience I’ll give you one guess what I do for a living.  I am a Yoga teacher.  That’s right…Om…be in the moment…open your heart…tolerance…connection…

I teach what I have to learn.  Obviously I am not enlightened yet!  I was jogging roundFortPondBaythis morning and passed the infamous “Surf Lodge”.  This is the place locals love to hate.  There were approximately fifteen people doing Yoga and filling the space with peaceful energy.  The Universe laughed at me as I observed this phenomenom.  “Peace in the midst of chaos.”  Once again who am I to judge?

2012 is “the end of the world as we know it”…hey, I remember that song!!  Seriously, time feels like it is speeding up and the planet is shifting.  I am not only a Yoga instructor and Yoga therapist but I am Miss Melody of Montauk.  I entertain children and write stories and songs that teach them spirituality in a non-sectarian way.  Even young children seem to be aware of how quickly time is passing.  When I was a child, one year seemed like forever.  This is no longer the case.  There is a sense of urgency to do the things we were born to do.  What are those things? To “lighten up” (enlightenment), to feel connected to each human being whether they are wearing a fedora or a baseball cap.  To share our gifts, talents, and stories.  To spread joy, laughter, and the view!!!

My husband and I will be married thirty four years in September.  I met him in high school.  We are leaving Montauk and going to a surprise 50th birthday party in Mattituck on theNorth Fork.  We are passing Cyrils on Route 27 and we just don’t get it!!!  What is the attraction?  The place is packed and there isn’t even a water view!!  Well, people can say that about us.  “What is the attraction?”  She is a guitar playing Yogi, lover of dogs and children.  He is a retired assistant chief of detectives.  He looks serious, deep in thought, highly intelligent, opinionated… I ask you, what is the attraction?  We never know what is truly going on in another person’s heart and mind.  So don’t take everything so personally.  That blank stare probably has nothing at all to do with you.

As we cross the Nepeague Stretch we brace ourselves for traffic, attitude, and our old up-island reality.  It is more difficult in this moment to keep the peace that washes over me each morning when I open my yes and realize the smell of the ocean, the sound of the birds are now my new reality.

Obviously, Montauk is not a utopia.  It has a dark side like every place on the planet.  It is all about balance.  Drinking, drugs, a short business season, high prices, cold quiet winters (although some of us consider that to be a plus).  We were born with the greatest gift and a grave responsibility:  free will.  We can choose to focus on the good, the light, the beauty that surrounds us or we can choose to judge fedoras.  I do not remember who said this line but it rings true:  “Wherever you go, there you are.”  You can be miserable in Montauk or happy in a slum.  I know residents of Montauk who haven’t been to the beach in years.  Imagine.  Too busy to appreciate and enjoy the landscape of their life.