This October I got to fulfill a childhood dream and an adulthood dream at the same time. When I was a young lass in the 90s and 2000s I watched many a movie and TV show where the friend group gets tickets to a concert and has to road trip or adventure to get there. I always wanted that type of experience but have always been more reserved, calculating or practical about my concerts. Well this time, even though I had a couple months notice, I bought the ticket within 24 hours of announcement and still went by the seat of my pants on activities and let things happen as they may. What mattered most was I was finally doing this concert trip, and finally going to Los Angeles, the home of many books and shows I loved.
I had multiple days to be in the state around the concert, just in case of emergencies and nothing else set in stone. The trip ended up being everything I wanted it to be with many surprise things, and unplanned things to help me make the most of my time. I had some mishaps like a lost rental car reservation, and other big city “horrors” a country girl like me has heard of but the good still outweighed the bad. I got to see a group I wanted to see for the first time, meet them in person at a meet and greet as well, make new friends, meet online friends, dine at a restaurant recommended by a Movie director, another by the group I was there to see, and have milkshakes and churros on the beach with my feet in the Pacific Ocean.
I can’t always do these types of trips, but in these trying and dark times, if you can make it work somehow, even if it’s close to home and just a new restaurant or park you haven’t done before, I hope you can take that leap and try it. There is still joy in this world, and we are owed it.