• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Handful of Heather

A Handful of The Things That Help You Grow

  • Organization
  • Well-Being
  • Intention
  • Relationships
  • Dogs
  • // FREE Intention Guide
  • Shop

What the Philadelphia Folk Festival Taught Me About Waiting

August 13, 2020 by Heather Garges 1 Comment

What the Philadelphia Folk Festival Taught Me About Waiting

Note: This post may contain affiliate links.

Every year, I go to the Philadelphia Folk Festival with my dad. It’s a beautiful gathering of creative, free, & unapologetically inviting people.

Before this, however, it’s simply an empty field at Old Pool Farm.

Because we volunteer during Pre-Fest, we roll up in my dad’s moving trailer Monday night (3 days before the festival begins on Thursday).

Seeing as interactions on Monday are limited, you just can’t help but look at the ground as you walk, indulging memories of years past.

When I was 6, I woke up to a note, waiting by my pillow, from my dad:

Heather,

I’m at the mud slide.

Love, Dad

“The mud slide?” I thought.

Every campsite buzzes with excitement, volume, and childlike fun. How is the idea of a mud slide at 7 AM even a little descriptive in such a lively environment?

I smile while remembering these moments, looking down at my feet, covered in wet Earth while walking to retrieve my Volunteer badge.

This is one of the last days your dirty feet lay claim to your priorities. Because right now, it’s quiet. Volunteers make the most of their “Alone Time,” strumming good tunes, positive and mellow, but when it comes to the Folk Fest, it’s the number of creative beings that come together that really magnifies the whole experience.

You leave Old Pool Farm the last day of the previous year with new friends, a sense of unspoken community, and larger-than-life goodbyes as you feel you have met some of your once-in-a-lifetime friends. Then you return, as a volunteer, 3 days prior to the festivities, to an empty field and a slew of porta pots.

Kenopsia (n.):

the eerie, forlorn atmosphere of a place that’s usually bustling with people but is now abandoned and quiet.

the empty field at old pool farm

This is where we are in society right now. A kid is outside his home dribbling a basketball alone. Saturday morning garage sales, where people get 50 cent movies and a new neighborhood friend, are hibernating. Friday bonfire barbecues with extended family are on hiatus.

There is no way around it. People are what make events worthwhile. But people are worth waiting for.

Those first few days at Fest are slow. My dad and I set up camp, sage our site, and work our shifts Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but guess what?

Thursday always comes. The Fest always prevails.

We spend the former 3 days staring at an empty lot wrapped in caution tape, excitedly waiting for the “Running of the Bulls.”

<

Running of the Bulls?

All the campers wait outside of the entrance for the gates to be unlocked. They wait… and they wait… and they wait (because they know the Fest and the people within it are worth waiting for). When the gatekeeper’s watch strikes 10 AM, the gates are flung open and campers flood in to lay siege of their usual spot on the empty lot. People in costumes, people pulling wagons, people, people, people…

the Thursday campers running in after the gates opened

The volunteers wake up early on Thursdays to line the path that leads to their destination. Whether from the top of the bus or from the dirt path “the bulls” themselves will be running on, we celebrate those who run towards us. High fiving, appreciating, hoping the most enthusiastic runners bunk nearby. The energy rises with each new Folk Song Society member that rushes in.

people waiting on top of "the bus" for the running of the bulls

Their is an indescribable buzz of both “We’re Here!” and “Did we ever really leave?”

Suddenly, our relaxed but lonely existence, turns into a collaboration of mind, body, and spirit as we all meet again or for the first time, with no distinguishable difference in if it’s the former or the latter.

No matter the pre-existing relationship with one another, we accept invitations into their temporary residence, offering fresh cooked meals, an instrument to fiddle, & a song to sing.

a man very excited by the rise in energy after waiting for the running of the bulls

I hope when we are released from our invisible constraints that we never take for granted the beauty of physical touch, warm welcomes, and proximity.

When you go without something, you revel in its re-appearence. When they cut that caution tape, I can’t wait to give you a high five & a “seeya around.”

Ah, you just wait!

You might also like...

  • Share
  • Tweet

Filed Under: Relationships

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Into the Rabbit Hole

About Heather >

Lover Of: Blue Heelers / Self-Help Titles / Sunshine / Socializing

Favorite Affirmation: “I accept & deserve all the blessings coming my way.”

Best Decision: helping you!

Follow Me On:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Follow Along:


Recent Posts

  • Invisalign vs Smile Direct – My 1 Year Journey to the Perfect Smile
  • Hurricane Ida; How I Survived Being Trapped in My Levitating Car With a Doggie Daycare Student
  • How Do You Know When to Quit Your Job: The Breakdown to Full Time Entrepreneurship You Need
  • Say “Hello” to Ello Containers: 7 Reasons You Should Never Meal Prep Without Them
  • What is Manifestation? Your Ultimate Resource

Archives

Categories

Disclaimer

If you love what you read & decide to purchase through any of the links I share, I thank you. A percentage of sales from the products purchased may be given back to the blogger at no extra cost to you & I only feature items I genuinely love. As of right now, this is only way Handful Of Heather makes money. Thank you for reading!

Before Footer

@HandfulOfHeather

handfulofheather

The only thing wrong with my Barbie Dreamhouse was The only thing wrong with my Barbie Dreamhouse was that there were 4 cats in the bed instead of 4 dogs 🩷

"Barbie" was a Feminist masterpiece 🎀
Petunia & Cheesy C make me the happiest Aunt Hippi Petunia & Cheesy C make me the happiest Aunt Hippie 🩷🌿
Happy Birthday to the girl always giving me heart Happy Birthday to the girl always giving me heart eyes (or heart headbands) 💫

I never tire of spending time with you (& just listened to your ever-distinct & ever-adorable giggles) 🥹

I love you so much, Therese 🩷

Poco's soon? I'll pay 🤪

P.S. Thanks for even considering cleaning poop from my shoes in doggie daycare. You're a true friend 💩
Happy birthday to one of my fav girlies to monkey Happy birthday to one of my fav girlies to monkey around with 🐒

Keystone moments of our friendship are Thursday night sushi dates, spontaneous trips to Philly on your birthday (so Ennegram 7 of us), and having an insatiable LOVE of dogs -- those who know, know 😉

Thanks for being A WHOLE MOOD & we need to pop a bottle to celebrate you soon (just maybe not on carpeted floors) 🍾

I love you, Maiz 🩷

P.S. these pics / vids cleared out my "Maizy" folder in Dropbox since I don't post "3 minutes' worth of snapchat videos daily" anymore 🙈
Phoebe's Mermaid-Themed 3rd Birthday Party was sim Phoebe's Mermaid-Themed 3rd Birthday Party was simply magical 🧜‍♀️
Happy 3rd Birthday to my daughter, Phoebe (althoug Happy 3rd Birthday to my daughter, Phoebe (although, for legal reasons, I must reference her as my "God Daughter") 😜

To my beloved Petunia,

You are the sweetest, silliest, giggliest, time-stealer I know. I want to be with you when I wake up, when you go to bed, and even when I'm nowhere near you (hence our Duo video calls EVERY SINGLE TIME either your momma leaves the house or I do) 🤳

I'm really proud of you for finally realizing that Snapchat video filters don't cause immediate plastic surgical changes to the phone holder's face... and also all your leaps & bounds with your speech (my favorite of your new words being "Kind" from our morning affirmations together) ⛅️

You are strong.
You are kind.
You are beautiful.
You are smart.
You are sassy.
You are loved.

I will never grow tired of your million & two "Hi's" or "Bye's" when I'm coming in or leaving because your voice alone brings me joy and speaks to how far you are coming each and every day, Phoeberson 🌱

I love you dearly & deeply & it will never change my beautiful 3 year old 🩷
Would you believe me if I said I didn't actively t Would you believe me if I said I didn't actively teach my niece ANY of this? // My nieces are my world 🌎 With that being the case, I bring them into mine as frequently as I can, whether training a dog or cleaning my apartment on a Sunday ☀️

They will be posted up on my couch watching Bluey (or so I'll think) to later find the real-life Bluey--my aussie cattle mix - and how I interact with her is what was really captivating their attention 😯

In this video, you see Carlin do ALL the things I teach owners to do when trying to facilitate a more calm dog:

✅️ Only praise dog when in a state of mind you like (i.e., calm)

✅️ Pulling a reward away if they move out of their command (in this case "sit') or are too mouthy with their grab

✅️ Offering audible praise for a job well done

By training your dog, you are training your children how to respect dogs 🩷

This is more than a post about dog training. This is a post about how we show up in the world:

People are listening to / watching you, what do you want them to learn from doing so? 

🌻 Do you want them to realize what it means to be kind?

🌻 Do you want them to see what it looks like to follow through on their goals?

🌻 Do you want them to know how to better respect others?

Be the change you want to see in your children, your home, your dog, your workplace, your family, & your world. 

I bet it will be a lot more beautiful if you did 🥰
.
.
.
.
.
#trainingkids #kidstrainingdogs #bethechangeyouwanttosee
#bekindalways #kidsrespectingdogs #kidsaresponges
#childrenaresponges #childrentraining #childrentrainingdogs #bethechangeyouwanttoseeintheworld #bethechangeyouwishtosee #bethechangetheworldneeds
#bethechangeyouseek #bethechangeyouwant
#consistencymatters #consistencyisthekey #consistencypays #consistencyoverperfection #consistencywins #consistencypaysoff #consistencyiseverything #consistencyequalsresults #consistencyoverintensity #consistencynotperfection #consistencybringsresults #consistencybreedsgrowth #consistencycompounds #consistencyovertime #consistencytips #beconsistent
HBD to my favorite 78-year-old giver 🥹 // What HBD to my favorite 78-year-old giver 🥹 // What priceless things he has given me: 1️⃣ My Pop Pop bought me my first 2 cars (a 2005 Exterra for $2.5K when I was 18 & a $1K 1987 Jeep Cherokee when I was 21)

2️⃣ He was my sole "jump starter" throughout the years I had both those first vehicles (as pictured above) 🙈

3️⃣ When he hands money to one of my siblings, I joke, "I have a car too?" & he'll keep his hand in his front pocket, making sure I am truly joking before pulling his hand away from cash he would so easily give if he knew I needed it 😫

4️⃣ His relationship with my dog @stitch_thebluefox over the past few years has given me the chance to witness such a sweet bond 💙

5️⃣ And his dry sense of humor & genuine laugh give me the pick me up each day needs (now that I'm lucky enough to call my Pops a housemate as of this past month) 😍

I love you, Pop Pop. And thank you for consistly showing me what it means to be a man of his word & full of heart 🩷

P.S. Thank you for saying copper / auburn was "my color" 4 or 5 years sooner than I actually confirmed it for myself 🔮
Swim Lessons w/ my favorite fishies 🐟 Watching Swim Lessons w/ my favorite fishies 🐟

Watching these girls go from concern to clapping for one another is so cool to watch. They know when their sister is in perceived danger & when they just need a nudge to keep trying 👏

Having a sister is such a blessing. I would know: I get to do swim lesson debriefs & cheerleading with mine 🩷
We had a great time at the petting zoo on Saturday We had a great time at the petting zoo on Saturday... other than Phoebe getting bit by a donkey 🥺 Don't worry, the baby goats helped heal her trauma 🐐
Happy Dad's Day to Stitch's fav man 💙 I see yo Happy Dad's Day to Stitch's fav man 💙

I see you as a mush man when it comes to me, but put your Stitchie baby into the equation, and you're just a mush puddle 😭

Sometimes, I wonder if I love you as much as I do simply because you capitalize on your "I miss you" snapchats by featuring Stitchie 😜

Thank you for loving Stitchie like you've known her from 8 weeks old & like she'll never go. She has never deserved a more pure love than yours 🥺
I don't know. It seems like a pretty simple concep I don't know. It seems like a pretty simple concept to me 😘 

//

Make the 🌎 a better place with your gifts & compassion, PLEASE 🩷
Me: "What is the jewel owner going to do to us if Me: "What is the jewel owner going to do to us if we aren't able to steal the jewel within the hour before he gets back?"

Escape Room Employee: "He'll tickle you."

Me (under my breath to my group): "Let's make sure to lose." 🫣

//

We finished in the top 1% with 6 minutes to spare & only 1 clue 💎

#ProjectEscape
I can't believe how blessed I am to laugh with you I can't believe how blessed I am to laugh with you (and sometimes at you 🤪) for the last 4 years.

Although you, at one point before we met, wore crocs & it almost tore us apart before we even started (#DealBreaker), we luckily were able to work through this hard time with open conversations & compassion 🐊

I'll make sure to keep you operating at your best (Wally World has an unlimited supply of Jack Oil) & smiling (even if I have to pull the edges of your lips up myself) so long as you stay mine a little longer 🩷

You're the best slider pencil box / firecracker I know. Thank you for being my (tuna) knight & shining armor for 4 years ✨️ 

I love you, Jasper Dawson & happy anniversary 😭 // Psst... Let's keep laughing together 🫣
Tongues out for water ice, puppy kisses, or lanyar Tongues out for water ice, puppy kisses, or lanyard coozie chugs made this year's Horsham Day "yummy yummy yummy yummy" 👅🐶🧃
Olive, you have impacted me in ways that only a so Olive, you have impacted me in ways that only a soul can feel 🩷

So much of what I loved in you, I love in my own dog Stitch so it always felt like you may have been a soul dog to me just the same. 

Like your Einstein hair, or your incessant butt wiggles when you really wanted to jump, or your reluctant but enjoyed snuggles 🤗

I am so immensely grateful I was given the chance to be your dog sitter starting my first year of college when I was still figuring out what I wanted to do with my life because I feel meeting you was a sliding door moment for me.

By meeting you, I met me & who I wanted to be.

I wanted to be someone who loved & respected loving souls like yours as a career.

Thank you for being you 🥹

And thank you Laura, Jeremy, & Sam for sharing her with me all these years. I am forever grateful.

Rest in love, Olive girl (& give Hank some kisses for me) 🫒
My motto right now as I'm building up my perfect m My motto right now as I'm building up my perfect morning routine 🌄

Today marks one week of now waking up at 6:15 (which means I get to buy myself a little giftie gift 🙆‍♀️)

What i added into my morning routine now that I wake up another half an hour earlier is immediately Dream Journaling (if I remember my dream) or doing Morning Pages (if I don't remember).

I feel like I have enough time to add in a 15 minute meditation (I'm already a notorious PM meditator) but I'm going to wait until I go down another half hour increment in 2 weeks before adding it in).

One day at a time 💖 #MorningRoutineUpdate

🎨 = @justalittlebitofpositivity
How lucky I am to have such silly, dancy, drinky f How lucky I am to have such silly, dancy, drinky friends to rock out at #Billfest2023 until 2 AM with 🍻🚨🎮
They come to Billfest for my dad, but they stay fo They come to Billfest for my dad, but they stay for the dancing 💃 // Sorry dad 🤭 #Billfest2023
You know it's a good Billfest when we peer pressur You know it's a good Billfest when we peer pressure Bill himself to rap on the mic at 2 AM 🎙

Happy birthday, Dad, you crazy squirrel-loving party animal 🐿 #Billfest2023
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Footer

My Blog

The intention blog that helps form a meaningful life by balancing organization, well-being, intention, relationships, & free time.

  • About
  • Follow Along
  • FREE Intention Guide
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Handful of Heather all rights reserved · Wellness Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...