The County Fair showed up in our neighboring town this fall. I was so excited to experience this annual event and so was everyone else in my little town. Leading up to the event the country folk explained to me what to expect - farm animals of all sorts, greasy food at every stand, quilts, rides and rodeo, all mixed together for our entertainment. I decided I wanted to try savoring a Navajo taco (a deep fried bread topped with beans, beef or chicken; and lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and salsa) while cheering on some random rednecks at a demolition derby (that is a separate blog in and of it's self).
The day we went, my girls and I had a blast. The girls running from one line to the other. Getting in as many rides as their little tummies could handle. I took the time to stop and look around. What a comprehensive sight! Lights everywhere, bright colors, loud country music and then the smell!! Crisp desert air blended with the smell of food and animals. A thought kept coming to my mind: "How can these County Fair workers do this? Set up everything for a week of fun, games and food, just to have to take it all down. Pack it up and head to the next place. Moving from one place to the other, over and over again. Where do they live? What do they call home? Is a trailer next to the cows all it takes to feel settled? Or maybe just a mattress on the back of the truck so you can make it quickly to the next rodeo event? " I wondered if such a lifestyle was tiring or thrilling. Draining or adventurous? Maybe some people don't need one place to call home. If what we are looking for can't be found where we are at, then move on! Have these people found what they are looking for or are they just not looking for anything? Restlessness caused by our complicity can, I guess, be just as unsettling as moving around constantly. And vise versa, the freedom of moving around can give you a sense of resolve and contentment. You learn how to live in the moment.
Elder Holland said it beautifully: "The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future."
What I learned that very windy afternoon, walking through the County Fair -
Become restlessly content, let go, move on and most of all - Enjoy the ride!
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