Amy Lu's View

I had high hopes for my recent vacation to Mexico for Brandi Carlile’s Girls Just Wanna music festival, but I never dreamed I would experience the enchanting sight of a crowd batting around small inflatable horses. 

We were watching the band Muna perform their song “Anything But Me,” which opens with the awesome lyric “You’re gonna say that I’m on a high horse, I think that my horse is regular-sized,” so presumably, the horses were in honor of that. The horses were cute and it was fun to see them flying through the air, but I was really impressed by the deep fandom for Muna people must have had to know that this was a thing to do, and that they took the time and effort to obtain the horses (where does one even buy an inflatable horse?) and to bring them along to Mexico. I guess an inflatable horse (which the lead singer referred to as “Staceys”) doesn’t take up that much room in your luggage, but still, that demonstrates an above average level of commitment. 

I don’t know why the horses are known as “Staceys” (a cursory Google search didn’t give an answer) so I’m clearly not a hardcore Muna fan (although I definitely like them). But I loved the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd, and the joy was contagious. I didn’t have to understand everything that was going on to experience delight. 

When I was younger, I thought I couldn’t really be a fan of something unless I was an “expert” on it. Now, while I still appreciate having some context and background for whatever art or entertainment I’m experiencing, I’ve given up on having to know too much about it. Maybe it’s because I now have access to so much more than I did when I was young (thanks in large part to the internet). Maybe I don’t have as much “free” time to dedicate to my cultural education. Maybe I’ve just accepted that it’s okay if I’m not that knowledgeable about something, and that I don’t have to prove my fan bonafides to myself or anyone else. Maybe liking (or not liking) something isn’t as much a part of my identity as it used to be. Maybe I’ve learned to lighten up just a bit and just enjoy the moment. 

I think I’m learning to find more opportunities to experience things as surprising and interesting and cool. 

Of course, this is easier to do when on vacation, when encountering so many new and different things. “Oh, look, I was just startled by an iguana! THAT doesn’t happen at home in Minneapolis…and hey, guava for breakfast! And hey, I’ve never been at a music festival before that had bathroom attendants for the port-a-potties!”

Recently I saw a column headline about having a “Traveller’s Mindset,” which made me think about how I want to have a “Vacation Mindset,” even when I’m at home. No, I don’t mean thinking it’s a good idea to regularly engage in day drinking, but to expect to find delights, and to be open to being charmed and intrigued. Okay, living my regular life in Minnesota is probably not going to be as magical as spending time at a resort in Mexico, but perceiving my life as even 5 percent more enchanted would probably feel pretty extraordinary. I do regularly encounter passionate quirky people here that I can appreciate, an adorable neighbor dog that quivers with excitement and loves to run along the fence with StanLee, and sherpa-lined leggings to make me feel cozy–just to name a few regular life pleasures. 

Maybe when I need to add a little pizazz to my life I’ll just starting thinking of people and things as “Stacey.”