Surprise!  I am very wordy today.  I am blazing through my reading list, and yes I'm sure it's gotten old how much I talk about it.  But I love it and this is my blog, so deal with it or skip over it.

I am currently reading A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle, and I feel like this is the first paper back I've read in months.  I didn't realize how often I find hardback copies at the library.  So being a lightweight, I decided to pack it in my bag for the Shaky Knees festival.  Both friend groups didn't have plans to show up until later in the day, so after I watched the sets I wanted, if I wasn't sure about what to listen to next, I would go to my next stage, set up my blanket in the shade, hydrate, read, enjoy the breeze and listen to the music from neighboring stages.  It is not so awful to do things by yourself.

The book is great, the weather is great, the music is great.  It definitely beats standing around in a crowd, sweating, waiting for a band you like to come on stage.  It really beats standing in a crowd with nothing to say, sweating profusely, waiting for a band you don't really care about to come on stage.  I met a lot more nice people hanging out by themselves than I ever did in groups in crowds.  A real sweet girl offered me her spray SPF when she saw me trying to work in my thick white SPF 50 Baby and not get any on my brace*. (Ha!) A few nice ladies asked me where I bought my blanket.  (From a Thirty-one party, cotton/fleece on one side, water resistant nylon on the other, folds up and closes with velcro, has a handle and a pocket!)  I just felt a lot more kindness from others when I was by myself than I ever felt in a large group or as part of a couple.

A lot of older folks at this festival.  It feels like some strange societal reversal when the younger generation is the majority and more dominant, and the older generation is so sparsely represented and submissive to a younger generation.

*On a side note, I need advice on how to clean my brace.  Dirt is everywhere at the festival, coating shoes, feet, ankles, bags, phones, and yes, braces (but not the type in your mouth).  My brace is coated in sweat, dirt, sunscreen lotion, and a little garlic aioli sauce from my tots.

Labels: be positive, be present, be the good, books, find the good, library books, live shows, reading, reading challenge, reading list, Shaky Knees