After years of always wanting to go to a Renaissance Faire, my wish finally came true. It couldn’t have come at a better time, either. It was the day after my birthday, and the week leading up to it was an extremely challenging one. I was faced with several health issues being uncovered, excessive fatigue and emotional heartache. I was feeling a lot of different energies this particular birthday week. I was reflecting on my life, frustrated with the lack of progress in my career, in my financial freedom, in my co-parenting situation, in my friendships that were being put to the test, and the cherry on top, lack of a genuine love life.
Cue a birthday full of tears, pity partying and complete isolation.
Luckily for me, I have fantastic friends who pulled me out of this long enough to go out that night and let it all go. Friends who—after much persuasion and insistence—finally got me into my inner child, and onto the dance floor. I felt safe, free and loved in that moment, and nothing else seemed to matter anymore. I came out of my altered state of sad consciousness to realize that all the love I need is all around me, in the form of beautiful children, a supportive family and open-hearted friends.
Why this backstory when this is supposed to be about a Renaissance Faire? It set the stage for my emotional clearing so that I could be open to enjoy the day. Otherwise, I would have brought depression, crankiness and exhaustion into the equation and made everyone else miserable. But instead, the dancing led me into the heart of my inner child, and from there, the Jenny within was ready to play.
Of course I can’t participate in an experience like this without going all the way!
Before the festival, we had ordered costumes so that my daughter and I could be fair maidens, and my son could be a knight. I had so much fun getting into that costume that it just lit me up completely. And since I was in such a state of imaginative bliss, I was easygoing and childlike all day. Usually, I am so concerned with itineraries, how my kids felt, how the rest of my companions were, is everyone happy, etc., and for the most part, I was in complete surrender.
We get to the faire and after getting in costume, I spotted a vendor selling floral crowns and like a little child, I jumped up and down with excitement, exclaiming how I wanted one. Apparently, the joy on my face was contagious, as my Godmother, who was with me, asked me if I wanted her to buy me one for my birthday. And in turn, I activated her inner child, as she ended up getting her own green feathered crown of loveliness. I knew right then and there, that this was going to be a very good day. We were ready to be medieval princesses!
But it wasn’t going to be without some challenges, as my pre-teen daughter started to cop an attitude of “get me out of the dress” and “this is boring.” Being in such a peaceful, blissful state of mind, I didn’t really fight with her, surprisingly enough. I told her after a few pictures she can take the costume off and just be comfortable, so she was happy with that compromise. My son chose to stay in his knight costume for most of the day, feeling pretty badass himself, especially after getting a sword.
The first part of the day was a bit of a struggle getting my daughter to relax and enjoy herself. The rest of my family tried to get through to her as well, trying to find something—anything— that she would like there. It was getting a bit frustrating but I decided to just let her be, and not let it ruin my experience. I loved exploring all of the little shops, and being spoken to in olde English by the very talented and dedicated actors that ran the event.
But what started to turn the tide was a little bit of magic.
We were walking past a shop, when a gentleman came out and asked my girl why she was so sad. She refused to answer and then he had her take a little black crystal, hold it tight in her hands and then up to her forehead to make a wish. A wish that could come true that day, that was possible, and then once that wish came true, she had to hand the crystal off to someone else or her wish would disappear. When she opened her hands, the black crystal was now clear, and she was stunned at the magic trick.
Thankfully, she started turning around little by little. We had stopped at an oil and incense place and she even helped me pick out some of the scents. Then she got a milkshake, and you know, ice cream really does make everything better. The struggle for a smile was getting less and less, and then we happened upon a game of archery. Well both of the kids got excited—as did some of us adults—and we tried our hand at shooting arrows and being terrible at it. But there were lots of laughs all around, and then in my hand, my daughter placed her crystal. I looked at her and she said, “All I wished for was to find something fun here to do.”
We hugged and for the rest of the day, we were all open to the different adventures that awaited us. The shows, the yummy treats, the mead (oh hello, yummy goodness), the pirate parade and strolling through fairyland. It was all so interesting to me, and I loved every moment of it.
There was such a lightheartedness I felt inside, and I was just able to be playful and carefree in this make believe environment that I resonated so strongly with.
But I think the best part was that instead of pushing my daughter to have fun, or worrying about how she was pouting, I just surrendered and let her be who she was, and feel how she felt, and it just allowed us to practice acceptance with each other. And that made for a much better day and state of mind. And of course, so did more ice cream all around at the end of a beautiful day in a magical land where I got to release my inner princess in so many ways. It was truly special.
Want to get a new chapter each week? Subscribe here: https://mailchi.mp/f803e64bd5da/subscribejennydee