Number 88 on my list was to take Taelin to a music performance at the World Beat festival here in Salem. The festival is always the last weekend in June and is a celebration of different cultures around the world. It is a great chance to become exposed to a variety of foods, music, dance, and traditions of different people. Taelin has loved music and dancing (or her version of dancing) since she was able to stand up supporting herself. I thought the music and dancing would be right up her alley.
Last year when we took Taelin it was bloody hot and she was CRANKY. My sister and Charlie were visiting from Montana and I think Joe and I stayed long enough to realize that the three of us were miserable and we left Lorie and Charlie to do the celebrating for us that year. So, when building my list, I decided to add going back and trying again.
The trip this year was much more successful. First of all, the weather was perfect. It was sunny but not super hot. That made a huge difference. Second, and probably more important, Taelin is a year older. We went after her nap on Saturday so she was fresh and ready to go.
She was a little too fearless as we were walking past the various tents that were set up. If you would have taken my blood pressure, it was probably a little higher than normal just because it can be stressful having a toddler in a crowded place. But the up side of that was that she was pretty interested in what was going on.
We probably saw 3-4 difference performances and I was a bit surprised at first that she didn't dance more. Usually, she starts moving the second she hears some music. The difference at World Beat though was that she wasn't just listening to music. There were dancers dancing themselves, in bright beautiful clothes representative of their culture. She was memorized.
I have to admit, that I too was memorized but it wasn't with the dancers. I couldn't stop watching Taelin watching the dancers. I so badly wanted to know what she was thinking and I studied her face hoping that I would get a glimpse of understanding. But whatever she was thinking, she kept to herself. Once the dancers were done and the people around us started clapping, she clapped along with them with a beautiful smile. This may have been the easiest thing on my list that I have done.
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