So, I went to the Austin City Limits Festival and it was amazing. Like holy crap, best week-end ever, blew my mind amazing. But, before I can tell you about the dreaminess of Ben Howard, the perfection of Florence + the Machine, and how I'm obsessed with The Features, I need to talk about the emotional impact the week-end had on me. Bear with me while I navel gaze.
(Shut up Jen, nobody cared about your feelings. Click here to go straight to the music.)
I recently read (and shared on Facebook) an article titled The 5 Types of Friends Everyone Should Have. Friend number one on the list is "the friend who is always down for whatever". The article argues that in a world where everyone makes it a competition to see who can act the busiest, it's refreshing to know people that you can call at 4pm on a Tuesday for a rock climbing expedition, at 11pm on a Friday for impromptu cocktails or, in this case, about a month before a major festival that requires cross-country travel. I like to joke that I always say, "yes." My friend Barb calls me "her only spontaneous friend". I think....that this has served me well. Yes is nearly always better than no. Going is nearly always better than staying. No regrets for what you've done, only what you didn't do. All that jazz. So, Taryn, thank you for recognizing that about me. You asked; I said yes.
Next, I'd like to talk about the power of the internet. I am constantly amazed the level of connectedness we all have with each other, through the power of the internet. My brothers, 14 & 15 years my senior, can probably count, on one hand, the number of of high school classmates whose whereabouts they know. I have a vague familiarity with the lives of about 100 of my classmates, though there are only a handful I'm in regular contact with. I know online interaction is not a substitute for actually spending time with people, but as a vehicle to maintain a loose connection? It's the best. So, thank you internet, for making me feel close to "home" (in whatever iteration I'm feeling that day - Corning, college, Buffalo, wherever) by keeping me updated on the lives of those who I've known in the past.
This brings me to Tristan. Tristan, who I went to middle and high school with, had posted a picture of the ACL signs going up. I commented, "Hey, I'm going to that!" We quickly exchanged a series of messages with phone numbers and itineraries. We knew we were going to meet up, but it was completely random the first time Taryn & I ran into he & his crew (which, in a crowd of 80,000, that's pretty insane). What you need to know about Tristan is that we both grew up in the poe-dunk middle of nowhere. Like, my town had one four way stop and a park. His town had a church and a post office. That's it. There were more cows than people. We each took 45 minute bus rides to school. And... we both got out. It was so amazing to see who he had become - successful, well-traveled, interesting far beyond his small town roots, but still so nice. Seeing that in him made me reflect on my post-Corning journey - I'm also successful, well-traveled, etc. This sounds so cornball, but it made me really proud of us? Like, look at us! We did it! We got out of the woods and are living these fabulous lives! Good for us!
(It is also worth noting that his group of friends - Steph, Darrell, Peter, Mike - were among the nicest people I could have hoped to meet. Big thanks to them for welcoming Taryn & I into their "festival family".)
I was sitting in the Austin airport, waiting for my plane - and I was a hot mess. I was severely sunburned & peeling, bug bites, an allergic reaction from falling in the mud, welts, blisters...the works. But, as I sat there, I couldn't help but grin. ACLFest was an amazing, incredible experience. And, I live this life where I get to have these amazing, incredible experiences. I don't know whey this particular long week-end, more than any other, really made it sink in: I am a very lucky girl.
Comments
Post a Comment