Lessons from Glastonbury Festival part 1 – Slow Down…

(This is part of my 20 minute writing practice. I write for 20 minutes, check for typos, choose a pic if I’ve time – and press send! you can find out more here)

Last weekend we all went to Glastonbury Festival. We danced until our knees were killing, sang until our throats hurt, and marvelled at the enormity of it all. 

I have begun to ponder what can be learned from such an experience. For us, as individuals and for the wider communities we live in. 

2 things come to mind and the first I will write here. Next time (in two weeks) I will write the second learning.

So, today in this piece, I hope it might remind you to just stop, look around, and find peace in what you already have right in front of you. 

When we found an appreciation, a presence, and a   s l o w i n g   d o w n  it made the experience SO much more enjoyable – as opposed to rushing between everything with a FOMO mindset! (might have been guilty of that too…ahem)

Then today, I was listening to Brenée Brown and she poses the age old question:

“If we are not satisfied with our life as a whole – does this mean we need to go and get or do other stuff that will make us satisfied? Or does this mean we need to stop taking for granted what we have, so that we can experience real contentment and enoughness?”

This is so relevant here. Before Glastonbury I was, if I am honest, already noticing an uneasiness that there would be “SO MUCH TO EXPERIENCE IN A SHORT SPACE OF TIME ARGHHHHH” – the idea we would be constantly missing something better. 

Then, of course, I was judging myself for having that feeling, unimpressed with myself when intellectually I know better. And knowing how incredibly LUCKY we were to be going to what is one of the greatest shows on earth! 

Oh dear….. The human experience can be so convoluted (!) 

But, it was a huge lesson for all of us. There is nothing better than learning through experience eh? And Glastonbury was a wonderful analogy for the rest of life. 

We all noticed, when we were frantic, desperate to see or do something coming up, we were torn, distracted, unsatisfied, rushed. 

In the lead up to those events we were always one eye on the clock, judging how long left and we had how far we had to go, rather than really looking and enjoying what was in front of us. Which was more often than not something quite magical.

Is this not always true?? The answer is stop taking for granted what we already have. We have enough. Experience it, and experience presence and the resulting calm, contentment and satisfaction that we are here, and we are alive. There is magic in that.