We Are The Good People, The Ones They Told You About... September 17, 2018 23:18

We are the good people, or so we say. However, even the best among us periodically need a reminder of what that means. Sometimes it’s hard to see our best selves on display. “The ones that disappeared, Behind the calling of the sun…”. In St. Augustine, when everyone was hot and grumpy, it felt hard to see the good people around you. It could feel like we’d just come to the beach to have a good time and taken it too far in the unbelievable heat. And people were touchy. “Like footprints to the sea, They dance upon the rising storm. Ten thousand voices singing, Hardly thrills our soul.” I wasn’t sure, on Saturday night, if the good people philosophies that we profess still thrilled our souls like we say they do. I saw people arguing over petty disagreements and crowded ground space at the show. I watched a former member of our community, who’s supposedly no longer welcome, be treated neutrally. And not completely banished and handled the way everyone had theoretically planned.

“Louder and louder, Hear the engines roar. Faster and faster, Fables overturned. Tighter and tighter, Oh the lightning flash. Closer and closer…” But as I became even more bothered, I realized that this weekend of heat-induced frustration didn’t define us. It’s our good works, like volunteering in 100+ heat at the PanicStream Helping Hands Charity Golf Tournament, that represent who we are as a group. It’s women, like myself and other Gretas I know, that speak up when need be. (This ain’t no flower child.) It’s the real men among our group, who step up to represent what is right and what is strong about this whole idea of a touring, jamming community. It’s the sweet volunteers at the venue, that smile and make a joke with you. It’s the band playing a special song, for a fan lost too soon. It’s that friend that brings you an extra drink so you don’t melt in a puddle on the St. Augustine Amphitheater lawn. “Here are your waters, so drink and be whole again.”

So, yeah, we all experienced a little drama in the sunshine state this weekend. But we also saw that human magic that keeps this whole machine moving forward. And keeps us coming back on tour. I’ll see you there. On my best behavior. *wink*