So I went to church this weekend for the first time in... probably 10 months or so. This monumentous event was direct result of the conversation I had on Friday night, plus a supplimental conversation had on Saturday with a very old, very dear friend. So there I found myself at church, feeling right at home, and the pastor gets up to speak.

The message of the day was essentially, to 'have fun' (in so little words). Life is meant to be enjoyed, and sometimes you need to get away, to nourish your spirit, in whatever way you can. Paul Atwater, pastor of North River Community Church where I went throughout middle school and high school with the companionship of my two best friends, was telling his congregation to 'get a life.' He elaborated that to eat, drink and be merry, are all very healthy, very acceptable things. As always, I could not help but be struck by the ironic and necessary timing of this message. Obviously it was something that I needed to hear. Let me lay it out for you...

This weekend I will be going to Rothbury, Michigan, to partake in any and all recreational activities as part of the thousands that will embark on Rothbury Music Festival. After this past weekend though, and the calling that I seemed to have back to my routes in Faith, I was a bit hesitant and very conflicted. How could I begin this new adventure of spirit while trying to desuade the influences that were all around me? I wanted to remain pure, of both body and mind since poisoning one threatens to toxify the other. On the other hand, this festival is something that I had been, and still am, looking forward to for the past 3 months. Hearing this message, at the church that I could always call my home, it was as if God himself was telling me, "You don't need to worry, have fun, live life, that's what I put you here for." At one point in the message, I do believe Paul Atwater actually said, "Don't be a prude." While obviously met with amused laughter and light heartedness, I could not help but take this to heart. 

Something I constantly struggled with in the peak of my faith when I was younger, was how much fun was too much fun? I know that sounds dorky, pretentious, whatever. I don't care, I'm just trying to be honest. Christianity, like many faiths, have an 'upper cusp' that look down on the rest of those, within their faith and without, for the choices they make. Well here I am, throwing my head to the sky, thanking God for letting me be alive, and hell, I'll have a drink in hand while I do it. Life is worth living if you let yourself. Spirituality is the most important thing in my life, but the actions I take and the experiences I make satiate the desires that fill my spirit with life and energy. So away I go to Rothbury, with a smile on my face and no regret in my heart.