Minutes ago I had on a puffy shirt. I also had on a pair of linen pants tucked into my boots that I had wrapped with cloth and tied with leather straps to cover the fact that they were more cowboy than courtier. Around my waist a leather belt did nothing to hold my pants - it was to keep my shirt cinched up and to hold the pouch in which I carried my coinage. Around my wrist I wore the token given to me by the queen.
Yes, I, ladies and gentlemen, went to the Renaissance Faire.
Now, before those of you who are far too hip or jaded proceed to laugh, I must tell you I had a great time - and I need to tell you why.
It may not surprise you that I would enjoy going to a place were knights, princes, and princesses abound. This place was chock full of them. There were also knaves, monks, wizards, poets, ladies-in-waiting, elves, jugglers, wenches, pirates, and cutpurses. Shouts of huzzah, giant turkey legs, miles of handcrafted cool stuff, musicians, performers, and the general commitment to staying in character made this day extraordinary fun; but I’m not sure this is why, when it was time to go it felt (as one of our merry band put it) cold outside the gates.
The shell of the man who walked the shire today now lay on my floor like molted skin. I’m now sitting at a table, reheated pizza on a plate, air conditioning on, and reflecting my ideas into a machine that holds more information than all the libraries of europe combined; and considering why did we all just want to go back. When one considers the realities of renaissance europe, there is little that holds any modern appeal. Life-spans were short, disease and poverty were rampant, and the fates of many were dictated by a few who held all the power. Communication was severely limited and the living was hard. Trust me when I tell you that there are no illusions.
It’s the reminders of what we are missing that makes it hard to leave.
Our company was one of honor and love. Inside the gates of this land, people who lived most of their lives in the margins of our developed world get to feel noble and valuable to the community - if just for one day. Our troupe all carried burdens up to the ticket booth and was able to leave them outside in the world where they belonged. We all knew that outside was a world we could hardly afford, but here we could laugh. There was plenty to eat, creation to enjoy, sport to celebrate, conversation to be had, and mead to drink. We spent the day enjoying each other and meeting new and interesting people who felt safe sharing themselves with us. Each of us could see each other and ourselves a bit more clearly - even with the unusual disguise. We spoke of how life was supposed to be and for a this day we could feel it.
When the day was done we entered our cars (which felt so unnatural) and drove back into reality. I couldn’t help but think that we could live this way all the time if we didn’t have so much we felt the need to maintain. Too much house, car, technology, and stuff. The “real” world is loud, obnoxious, and so expensive. We arrived back at the driveway that held our cars, gave final embraces, and went our separate ways…alone. Our merry band broken.
Something just feels wrong.
Ask me what I want in life. At the end of the day I don’t want to live my life in costume (though I’m quite happy in my puffy shirt.) I don’t want to spend the day pretending to be a character when all the while I live a life that doesn’t reflect my soul. I want to live fully. I want to love without fear and be with people. I want to spend the day working hard for my good, the good of my family, and the good of my community. I want to have a vital part of my section of the world and help create space where people feel they can laugh. I want to work side by side with people, like the ones I spent the day with, and offer what I can to make them better as they do the same for me. I want to return home from a day of celebrating everyone around me and have a nightly joyous reunion with my breathtaking queen who is a daily wonder to behold as she lives creatively and lovingly. My heart desires to raise my wild and wonderful children (and someday their children) to be people of honor and love.
I want to help you heal.
I want to live how my heart feels…what my soul sees.
I want to age in peace, in a loving community, knowing that I learned how to live.
I think we can do it. It will require some work and a commitment to simplicity and ridding ourselves of those things we can no longer afford because they rob us of our ability to be human.
More than anything…I want you to come. This one can’t be done alone. Our joy is in the together.
I’m putting the band back together.
And buying a few more puffy shirts.
And maybe a hat…
1 comment:
As one of the merry gang I can't help but agree with your sentiments. An incredibly human day, I too thought about what exactly it was that made leaving the shire seem so much like getting into the car to drive to work.
I feel as though there is an honesty that comes through when people lie; when it's a fabrication, all they have to draw from is what they know. The anonymity that Halloween or a Renaissance Fair creates allows people to actually lower their guards (but not their broadsword) and let themselves become a bit more transparent. It is the idea of "Hey, that could just be the character they are playing" which opens a door to an honest interaction between fellow human beings.
A door that is open to all yet avoided by the "too cool" and the "too mature", a phenomenon to which everyone has subscribed at some point(but for inexplicable reasons, seeing as I saw a Merlin who must have been in his 200's and I was fortunate enough to be in the company of some of the coolest {and might I add most attractive} lords and ladies.)
And there is something to be said for the humility and courage it takes to dress up and go to an event such as this. It is fair knowledge that this is not something that is considered "normal" or "cool". With each turn of a leather strap around a knee high boot, with every pound of chainmail added, with ever painful tug on a maiden's corset there is a reminder, "I could be mocked for this." But it is the courage of knights that pushes these souls on, telling them "This is part of something bigger".
Am I suggesting that their is some higher plane of existence for those who dress in feathered caps and flowing dresses? Not for all the mead in the world. But there IS a clearer, simpler existence when people are willing to shed thier facades and be honest with themselves and those around them. If this means dressing up, so be it.
The matter of human interaction is a keystone in this argument as well. The fair forces you to interact, colliding with personalities abound. People can keep to themselves for only so long before they speak to another human (a practice that, without a layer of LCD screen between them, is fading terrifyingly fast). It is not possible to stay introverted with constant attacks on the walls you have put up. Attacks in the form of jesters joking, maids swooning, or salespersons prying. This eventual breakdown will lead even the most jaded person to join the charade.
I suppose my argument is floundering and chasing it's own tail a bit(been awake for far too long) but I honestly do believe that you are on to a heartwrenchingly true theory about the way we choose to live our lives.
The fair was absolutely absurd and rediculous, but when given the chance I would not hesitate a moment to return. Not for the turkey legs, nor the joust, nor the ale wenches.
I would return for the feeling of being surrounded by people, people who have stories to share and will share them.
I would return to be able to put on another face that, though it may not look like me, is more me than any of my coworkers will ever see.
I would return to feel more human than robot or schedulebook.
I would be upset if I did not mention a quote, no matter how cheesy, from the movie Almost Famous which has been plaguing me all day. "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool."
Mike your writing is absolutely beautiful and urges my heart to pump my blood uphill to my brain. Thank you.
-R
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