Kubiando!
Yesterday I went to the annual Fairie Festival at Spoutwood Farm in Glen Rock, PA. It was awesome! I had a really good time. The last time I went was two years ago, and I'd forgotten how much fun it is. The weather was beautiful this year, and it's just very relaxing to be surrounded by so many cheerful people, all dressed in their costumes, their wings, their belly dance outfits, etc. I feel like I kind of stuck out because I was wearing plain old jeans and a t-shirt. I really need to get a pair of wings one of these days.
Not everyone was happy though - this was the first time I ran into protesters at the festival They weren't inside the festival of course, but they were lined up along the road so that they could yell at us as we stood in line to get in. Well, to be fair, only one guy was yelling. Something about how God would strike us down if we didnt repent our wicked ways. Others were reading aloud from their bibles, or holding signs. One said something about the Fairie Festival being a gateway to Paganism. Another had a quote from the bible that seemed to say that God doesn't approve of imagination. I'm going to have to look that one up....I don't remember learning in church that imagination was bad. (Then again, I wasn't exactly the star pupil in Sunday School!)
Usually when I see protests like this, I get angry. Who the hell are these people to stand there and judge me? This was the first time I didn't feel anger when I saw them. At first I was kind of surprised. Was the Fairie Festival really the most wicked thing they could find to protest? I mean, basically, it's a bunch of people playing dress up, dancing, drumming, shopping, eating funnel cake and talking about how we need to take better care of the planet. Really? That's what you want to spend your energy protesting? OK, whatever floats your boat. Then, as I stood in line and listened to them, I started to feel bad for them. It was a beautiful spring day, and they were spending it telling us all that we're going to hell. They didn't look happy at all. They weren't having any fun. I almost spoke to one of them - I wanted to tell him that it was OK, he didn't need to get so worked up over this. We were just going to hang out and relax and have some fun. There was nothing evil going on. But I figured I wasn't any more likely to convince him than he was to convince me, so I left them alone.
On the way out at the end of the day, a new group of protesters had taken over - this group seemed more gentle. Or maybe they were just tired. They held their signs quietly and one woman read from the bible, but it was in a much more conversational tone of voice than the guy from the morning shift - she read like she was telling us all a bedtime story. Another woman caught my eye and asked me if I was planning on going to heaven. I got as far as "Well...." when she interrupted and said that if I wasn't absolutely sure that I was getting into heaven, I should take this pamphlet and read it so I could get on the right path. I just said "No, thank you" and kept walking. I like my path.
Not everyone was happy though - this was the first time I ran into protesters at the festival They weren't inside the festival of course, but they were lined up along the road so that they could yell at us as we stood in line to get in. Well, to be fair, only one guy was yelling. Something about how God would strike us down if we didnt repent our wicked ways. Others were reading aloud from their bibles, or holding signs. One said something about the Fairie Festival being a gateway to Paganism. Another had a quote from the bible that seemed to say that God doesn't approve of imagination. I'm going to have to look that one up....I don't remember learning in church that imagination was bad. (Then again, I wasn't exactly the star pupil in Sunday School!)
Usually when I see protests like this, I get angry. Who the hell are these people to stand there and judge me? This was the first time I didn't feel anger when I saw them. At first I was kind of surprised. Was the Fairie Festival really the most wicked thing they could find to protest? I mean, basically, it's a bunch of people playing dress up, dancing, drumming, shopping, eating funnel cake and talking about how we need to take better care of the planet. Really? That's what you want to spend your energy protesting? OK, whatever floats your boat. Then, as I stood in line and listened to them, I started to feel bad for them. It was a beautiful spring day, and they were spending it telling us all that we're going to hell. They didn't look happy at all. They weren't having any fun. I almost spoke to one of them - I wanted to tell him that it was OK, he didn't need to get so worked up over this. We were just going to hang out and relax and have some fun. There was nothing evil going on. But I figured I wasn't any more likely to convince him than he was to convince me, so I left them alone.
On the way out at the end of the day, a new group of protesters had taken over - this group seemed more gentle. Or maybe they were just tired. They held their signs quietly and one woman read from the bible, but it was in a much more conversational tone of voice than the guy from the morning shift - she read like she was telling us all a bedtime story. Another woman caught my eye and asked me if I was planning on going to heaven. I got as far as "Well...." when she interrupted and said that if I wasn't absolutely sure that I was getting into heaven, I should take this pamphlet and read it so I could get on the right path. I just said "No, thank you" and kept walking. I like my path.