#33 A Lesson in Psychology

I learned recently in psychology class that the strength and longevity of memories is directly related to the amount of emotion felt during the event of their creation. This explains why the things we remember the most are the things that affected us in a large way--by either bringing us great sadness or great joy or some other impacting emotion. I know I will remember this past weekend for a long time to come because it was so much fun. There were several times that I just thought to myself how happy I was, which made the think of how much I need to get rid of the things that hold me back so that I can be that happy person all the time. Yes, it sounds silly, but I did have this epiphanic moment in the middle of a music festival with 75,000 people surrounding me.

This past weekend was the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival. For those of you who aren't familiar with ACL, it is a three-day music festival that takes place here in Austin, gathering over 130 musical acts from all over the world to play rock, indie, country, folk, electronic music and more on eight different stages. My favorite acts of this year were The Red Hot Chili Peppers (of course), Two Door Cinema Club, Childish Gambino, Florence + the Machine, Alabama Shakes, The Black Keys, and The Shins. I could go on and on about the acts, but I think you get the gist--they were amazing. In addition, it sells food and art from different vendors, a vast majority of them being local. Like I said, it attracts a enormous amount of people. Honestly, it's insane how many people are there. 75,000 people in a huge public park is crazy. But the atmosphere is incomparable. It's almost electric--you know there's something going on there. There is nothing like the sound of the music and all the commotion around. This year was my second experience at ACL, and I loved it just as much as last year, if not more. Not only am I continually awed by the power of live music, but I am also continually awed by the eclectic mix of people you find those three days at Zilker Park.

Another random psychology factoid, the most memorable events in our lives happen when they encompass all of the senses. At ACL, you can hear the resonance of the music across the entire park, you can see all of the crazy people around you, you can smell the local foods being sold by the vendors (not to mention the not-so-pleasent smells you come across), you can taste that food, and you can feel the beat of the music inside of you. All of these combined sensory experiences made me realize how lucky I was to be there, and there is nothing that makes me happier than that. I got to thinking that I need to be a happy, carefree person like that all the time and just let go of the thoughts that aren't good for me. It is for these reasons that I know ACL will always be an experience that I can look back on and remember fondly, and I can only hope to make all of my days as memorable as those three. I may not have Florence Welch crooning in the background of my everyday life, but that doesn't mean every day of my life isn't as special as the three days of ACL. So I guess, live every day like it's an ACL day!