I’ve been home from Burning Man for almost two weeks. As I’ve decompressed and eased my way back into the “default” world, the people who I’ve found to be walking common ground are other burners who have also been readjusting to the lives we left behind before venturing into Black Rock City in northern Nevada. Some feel lonely and others frustrated or upset. Some have embraced a new direction in life. The readjustment process is not unlike what many Peace Corps volunteers experience when they return home from service. Just as two years of service in a developing nation can never be summed up in a single conversation, neither can Burning Man.

I’ve read articles and essays, looked at pictures and watched videos of this year’s Burning Man event, but none of them truly captures the spirit of Black Rock City. People keep asking me to tell them about Burning Man, but I’m not quite sure what they are asking. Everyone who attends Burning Man experiences something significantly different than everyone else. While we all share the same living space for a week, every experience is intensely personal and profound — and for many of us, it is life-changing as well.

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