Personal Renaissance

I lived in Anchorage, Alaska for fifteen years and always saw the ads for the Three Barons Renaissance Fair. I'll admit that, at the time, a tired young mom with aspirations to be like Ma Ingalls, I thought those people were, well, a little kooky. Needless to say, more than a decade later, I've relaxed my ideas and opinions about which ways of living are 'right' and 'proper.' But still, there's no Renaissance fair in my current town, so I hadn't really given it much thought since. 

But last weekend we had planned a trip to Anchorage - a distance of about 365 miles - and it turned out the Ren Fair was on! Blythe, my 19-year-old, was very excited about it and immediately had an outfit picked out. Clara, 17, was on board, and pretty soon we were all into it. We ended up spending the whole day there and having way more fun than we've ever had at our local State Fair. Why was that, do you suppose?

I think we all found the enthusiasm and positivity at the Renaissance Fair to be contagious and inspiring. Blythe had wondered if she would be the only one dressed up, but found that costumed people were clearly in the majority. There was a general spirit of bonhomie; everyone seemed relaxed and real. People were being their own truest selves, embracing the theme and embracing their fellow fair-goers. We ended up being a pretty large group as aunts and cousins joined throughout the day. 

By going outside of our usual routine, we ended up making a real connection with a fun and vibrant community. By the time we left we were planning costumes for next year (most of us had not been dressed up) and hoping to make it an annual event for our family. Connection is not always found exactly where we expect it, but having an open mind, an open heart, and a willingness to try new things can open the way for connecting with others in all new ways.