Feeling young and full of life

The KMTT Mountain Music Fest was wonderful. I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun dancing. My shoes were off, my hair was down, and I didn't have a care in the world.

The venue couldn't have been better--outside, in the late afternoon sun. Lisa and I got there just after four and had a hard time finding a parking place. Maymoor Park is enormous! In fact, there were several other events in addition to the concert that were going on at the same time.

Lisa was happy after seeing Shawn Mullins. He's a talented song writer, and it was heart warming to see how much he writes about his children and his wife. Just a good Southern boy who has taken time to notice the beauty in the world. You could tell how much he was in love with life. He reminded me of a line from Jerry Maguire. "In life, to be honest, I have failed as much as I have succeeded. But I love my life. I love my wife. And I wish you my kind of success. "

More than anything else, Shawn Mullins is a great story teller. I was just glad to b there, listening to good music and spending time with a dear friend. I felt that evening as if anything would be possible. I think it is, if I choose to have that attitude.

There was a family sitting next to us, visiting from Tacoma with an old friend from college (who happened to go to my graduate alma matter). The friend, whose name was Mark, was one of the sweetest men I’ve met. Sadly, you could just tell he didn't have anyone in his life; and he was so deserving of happiness. After several drinks, and feeling inspired by the music, I asked Mark to dance. Then of course the music slowed down and it was incredibly awkward. I told him that I hoped he didn’t mind, but I had a boyfriend and just thought that he was an incredibly sweet guy and might ejoy dancing.

It amazes me that such a small gesture of kindness could mean so much to someone. After we went back to sit down, Mark thanked me a couple of times. Knowing that I was in a counseling program, when I got up to leave, he touched my wrist and thanked me again for my comments. He said that he knew I would be a wonderful counselor, that I had a very gentle, caring way about me. It’s silly, I know, but his words meant a lot to me, because they weren’t an attempt to flatter me, and he wasn't telling me something he thought I’d want to hear in order to get something. Rather it was something that he felt from his heart. The foolishness I'd felt asking him to dance disappeared, and I felt glad that I'd taken a moment to make this man smile.