Sunday, April 23, 2017

we came here to be liberated, we came here to be freed

The greatest transformations happen when you step out of your comfort zone and away from your phone.
We have a tendency to fear the unknown, but that is when change within us occurs. Fear at times holds us back. The reason we feel anxious and a little bit worried about how things will turn out is because we are going on a path of unexpected experiences.
When my dear friend asked me to go to Okeechobee Fest for her birthday, I denied her quickly out of reflex and fear. After marinating on the idea, I realized that there was truly nothing holding me back from going other than the exit from my comfort zone. I skimmed the line up and purchased the ticket without a second thought. This was an opportunity that had presented it self and I knew I must take it.
This would be my first camping experience ever! I had no idea what to expect and I decided that was the best way to go into this, with absolutely zero expectations. Everything happened so easily and swiftly. We met as a large group of seven cars with twenty-three people and caravanned from here to the festival. The second we pulled in, without words being said we all unpacked our cars simultaneously and started setting up camp.
The first night after we watched the sunset over the property of the festival, we made our way to the stage to watch Con Brio. 
During his set, he looks out to the audience and says “we came here to be liberated, we came here to be freed”. No truer statement would be spoken the rest of the weekend that could epitomize the entire experience.
Leaving my phone at home was going to help liberate me from the world and be fully present with my surroundings. I wanted to be able to inhale each moment for what it was and not be focused on anything else.
Days began and we energized ourselves with peanut butter and bananas sandwiches with granola. We packed our snacks, toilet paper, water, and flashlight because we had no inclination of when we would return. That was the beauty of it, bringing what you needed for the entire day and not knowing when you’d be back to the cozy campsite. Our entire camp family broke off and we headed out with our backpacks making our way to the different stages of the musicians we wanted to see.
I truly did not realize how much I would completely love being at a music festival. Dancing barefoot upon the earth I could feel the music underneath my toes. Allowing the vibrations to come through the ground into my legs. As I felt the sun blazing onto me and shut my eyes, I felt the rhythm of the music wash over me. As I opened them I could see the sun flickering and dancing upon the horn instruments. You could feel the funk taking over.
As the days went on you could feel the love of all the people attending the festival. People were all there to let themselves be free and to enjoy the music. We were all there for the music. There was no judgment and people could dress and express themselves in the way they chose.
All of us were here to be love, see love and create love.
Time seemed unreal. We had no place to be be, nothing we had to do and no where we had to go. You had full capability to just do you.
By the fourth day, exhaustion slowly started to take over my body. The amount of walking and dancing with inadequate rest periods caused my legs to hurt. But I did not let that stop me from dancing for every single show I went to. Regardless of my leg aches I danced for all the musicians I saw because I came for the music and to let it take over me.
I was the dirtiest and grimiest I have ever been in my life, but I absolutely loved it! No electricity, no showering and only port potties, can truly test a person’s limits and their level of getting dirty. 
I didn’t look at my appearance in the reflection of a mirror for the entire four days. When we finally made it back home in the middle of the night, I peered at myself in the bathroom mirror I saw life and beauty covered in earth.
We came to the music festival to be freed in so many ways. We came to move and groove within nature, just trying to survive and enjoy all the music.

Step out of your comfort zone and away from your phone.