Life is Good..the Festival

    "Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it."  Maya Angelou


                 Not going to head to New York every weekend.  Don’t want Kristi to get sick of me and it can be a bit exhausting, running back and forth, but I’m not complaining!  As I’ve already said, to fill my time, and not sit around wallowing, feeling sorry for myself, (definitely getting tired of that) I have been doing some volunteer work.  For a couple of years I have been trying to volunteer at the Life is good Festival, and finally this year I made it.  Who doesn’t smile when they see any Life is good products?  I have been a fan for years.

             From the Festival Guide:  “The Life is good Company began with two brothers, $78, and an old van just biding its time.  One sketch and a good old house party later, the amazing optimism of Jake was born.  Today, Life is good is committed to spreading the power of optimism and helping kids overcome poverty, violence and illness.  100% of all the funds raised from this Festival will go directly to the Life is good Playmakers, our nonprofit committed to helping kids overcome poverty, violence and illness by partnering with the teachers, social workers, and other frontline professionals who dedicate their lives to care for them.”

                Life is good Festival has been held almost in my back yard for the last few years, at the Prowse Farm in Canton, right at the foot of the Blue Hills.  Saturday was dark and cool when I woke up, but wasn’t raining, thankfully.  By the time I got to the Festival, the sun was shining, and the rest of the weekend was the quintessential perfect Autumn weekend.

                       I was placed in a beverage tent, serving beer, wine , soda, and water.  How perfect a job was that for me?  Brought back many memories of all those basketball and football games when the Girls were in High School; although in those days, of course, there was no beer or wine involved (that’s when I could have used one!)

              The Captain of my tent was an awesome guy.  He has been working for Life is good for a relatively short time in New Hampshire.   A victim of corporate layoffs at JC Penney, he was working in a neighborhood restaurant where Life is good people come to play, and one told him of the opportunity at the company.   When he asked if anyone had heard of “The Secret” (the book by Rhonda Byrne that prompted me to have my “Winter in Manhattan Odyssey”), I knew this was a special man.  How any men read that type of stuff, and admit to it?!

                We had a good team that Saturday, another great guy, Jim, looks a bit like Santa and was the perfect “bartender” greeting and selling for the Kids.  There were many others, of course, but we felt like we created a great working core.  Jim and I made sure to get ourselves back into Mark’s booth for Sunday.  And, we hope to repeat it next year!

            Walking around on breaks, it was unbelievable.  It is truly a family event with lots of activities, games, PLAY, for the kiddos.  Parents were happy with the great music.  And, as I said the weather could not have been more perfect.  I’m hooked.

              Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds were the headliners for the Festival.  He was the last to play Sunday night.  My Girls always went to his concerts when they were in high school (so of course those were fun nights for me with the worry), now it was my turn to hear him live.  Pretty amazing.  All throughout both days, there were many other great musical acts, of course, including Dan Zane & Friends, Michael Franti, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Sarah Jarosz, and so many more.

                A truly wonderful weekend, I read in the Boston Globe $1,000,000 was made for the Life is good Playmakers to continue their amazing work.