Life lessons learned from a Renaissance Faire

Well, we are once again lucky enough to promote King Richard's Faire, New England's oldest and largest Renaissance Faire running August 31-October 20, 2013 in the beautiful forest in Carver, Mass. Last year, Liv and I spent nearly every weekend at the Faire, roaming through the forest, making new friends with the actors and staff, and learning so much about this time period. What better way to learn about medieval times than to truly immerse yourself in it?

Huzzah! Here are a few things we learned while peeking "behind the burlap" of one of the nation's biggest Renaissance Faires (1000 people, can you imagine?):

1. Life is filled with people who are not like you. People come in all different flavors: big and small, quirky and creative, funny and friendly, talented and inspiring, nerdy and rebellious. Renfaire actors enjoy a fascinating job, a group of amazing friends, and shared family dinners... and are passionate about what they do.
2. Creativity in words and deeds are everywhere. Innuendo, Shakespearean references, historical facts and medieval history, authentic - and not-so-authentic - music and art are all around you at a Renaissance Faire. Ask lots of thoughtful questions when things aren't crazy busy - creatives and artists love smart questions. That's how I learned about knitting, chain mail, coats of arms, and even psychic energy around the Fairegrounds. That's how my kids learned about wenches, cleavage and jokes with the words "Trojan" in them. Oh well... you take the good with thy naughty.
3. Conversing at a Renaissance Faire can teach you a lot about medieval language, etiquette and knowledge of this fascinating time period. (Note: medieval insults are pretty sweet... try this one out on your little brother: "Thou art a boarish, beetle-headed boar-pig!" (Click here for a handy insult generator.)
4. Accept people for who they are. Listen to their story, and appreciate their differences. Everyone has a story... maybe if more people slow down and put their devices down (aka "magical fairy boxes"), they would have more time to actually listen.
5. Be yourself - find people who accept you for who you are. Whether you grow up to be tattooed, big-busted, wooly bearded, a Queen, or a professional historical reenactor, whether you decide to read palms or crack a bullwhip or train tigers or sing or play the lute or fashion dragons out of wax for a living, everyone has a special place on this amazing planet.

Find your place and gather your "tribe" around you who loves you for how wonderful you truly are.

Huzzah, shiny magical monkeys!