Welcome to Millheim, Pennsylvania & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #129

July 2, 2019 / 53 Comments
This is not a sponsored post.

I know. I know. I know. I said I was taking a blogging break. And what happens when I finally say it? I get inspired. And I cannot ignore the inspiration when it hits. Any creative person knows this. We live for that moment. We wait for it. We seek it out in all corners of our existence. We exhaust ourselves trying to tap into it. We get tired. We take a break. And it is right inside those breaks where we find our inspiration. You can’t fight against the universe. You just have to succumb. And when you finally do, she delivers in spades.

So that’s what I did. I declared that a break was necessary because the creative process was exhausting me. By creative process, I mean the process by which I was trying so hard to be inspired that I was effectively killing my muse. You can’t try so hard. That’s not how it works. You have to just open yourself up to the magic and allow it to flow through you. I am finally learning this. I don’t know why it took me so long or why it has surprised me so much. But there it is. And some things just can’t be explained and aren’t meant to be understood. Accept it, grab hold of it, and use it in the best way possible.

So here I am at the very beginning of my vacation…Sunday night to be exact. I completed the first leg of my southbound journey and have stopped for the night at my mother-in-law’s house in Pennsylvania to drop off the children. I am tired from driving yet I am inspired to write. I have been wanting to share with you a little about my short two day trip last weekend to Millheim, Pennsylvania. I was going to wait until I returned from my vacation in Asheville to share about this quaint Pennsylvania town, but now the words are hammering away at me, begging to be typed.

About two months back, I mentioned my new favorite band in a blog post about Some of My Favorite Things. I was introduced to Fireside Collective through a social media connection with one of the band members that turned into a pretty fantastic friendship. I started listening to them on Pandora and watching concerts on YouTube. I have to admit Bluegrass music was kind of off my radar, but I am always open to new things. I am not ashamed to admit that I was hooked pretty quickly to the vibe that this group of five generates. Their music makes you smile. Their lyrics make you feel. And their energy just connects you to something bigger than yourself. Something better, more important, more special. Something that you really just want to be a part of even if only for a brief moment in time.

Fireside Collective just completed a four week tour and their final show was at The Elk Creek Cafe, an intimate alehouse setting located in Millheim, Pennsylvania. This was about as close to Watertown, New York, as they were going to get and I was itching to see a live show. So I bought my ticket, booked a room at an Airbnb, and drove the 5 plus hours to Millheim last Sunday. And my story really starts with the 300 mile drive.

Cruising through rural Pennsylvania, alone in my car, I had so many life epiphanies flood down upon me. It was like I was learning how to live for the first time in my life. I didn’t take the highway, but rather I traveled mostly back roads through beautiful green terrain with rivers running beside me and mountains rising above me. I absorbed the scenery and the landscape and I felt as if it was the very first time I was really seeing any of it. It was definitely the first time I was appreciating the miracle that it is. It was breathtaking and peaceful, tranquil and awe-inspiring. It kept bringing the words of my dear friend Valerie to mind, “Humans will never destroy this earth. Sure, we cause a lot of damage, but in the end, it is so much more powerful than we are and it will wipe us out long before we do it. And it will thrive in our absence just as it always has.” I saw that power that she described. I saw it surrounding me. I felt it everywhere. From every direction. And it was the most magnificent spine-tingling revelation I think I may have ever experienced.

I really cannot even properly express the magnitude of wonder and awe…so I will continue on with my story. To be clear, when I began this trip to Millheim, I never had any intention of even sharing any of the details until the details revealed themselves to be so worth sharing. I was just going to a concert. I had no idea my mind would be blown by the entire experience.

Millheim, Pennsylvania, is a tiny little town, only 1.3 square miles, with a population of around 900. The town center is a mere two short blocks loaded with historic buildings that gave an old-time feel that was only amplified by the many horse drawn carriages passing by. Can I tell you how soothing and even curative it is to hear the sound of horses trotting through the dark empty streets at 2:00 a.m.? The percussion of hooves echoing on pavement created an eerie yet comforting aura that made me yearn for something simpler, easier, more earthly and more ethereal all at once. (Sorry, I got sidetracked by the memory of that moment.)

I arrived at my Airbnb, The Triple Creek Lodge, about 2 hours before show time. The lodge has three different rooms available decorated in quaint rustic decor situated in the upper level of The IngleBean Coffee House. I did not meet my Airbnb hostess, Megan, but I interacted her with her via email a few times and she was very helpful and accommodating to my needs and my schedule. And the room was basically…well…perfect. I couldn’t have asked for better accommodations that were so suited to the ambiance of the town.

I was, however, very fortunate to make the acquaintance of Dennis, the Head Bean of The IngleBean Coffee House. Have you ever stepped into the presence of a stranger and you get that immediate feeling that you could you just sit right down across from them and have a conversation that hits on the deepest levels of emotional, psychological, and philosophical material as if it was an every day thing? That’s the vibe I got from Dennis. He had his sweet pup, Eddie Murphy, with him. And can I tell you…that dog had the same vibe. I crouched down to pet him and he casually presented his furry face to the palm of my hand and it was like he was reading my soul. I was comfortable in this space and very glad for the recommendation from The Elk Creek Cafe.

Dennis, the IngleBean staff, and 4 members of Fireside Collective

Now onto the show…and I know this post is getting really, really long, but I am on a roll with my words here. See, this is what happens when your muse has seemingly been starving you for so long…suddenly she gives you too much that you run out of storage space! It simply has to come out through the keyboard because I have no where else to put it all.

The experience I had listening to Fireside Collective on Pandora and YouTube videos was trite compared to the experience of watching them play live. The energy in the room sort of took flight above us and around us until it penetrated the very souls of every person in the room. Like a mystical potion that was cast through the cosmos…no one within hearing or viewing distance was safe from the intoxication. More than just the music and the lyrics, it was all of it together, this bewitching combination of five energies coming together in a musical union that lifted, intrigued, and mesmerized an entire audience into an opium-like induced trance.

After their first set concluded, I leaned over to the girl next to me, Becca (an amazing girl, by the way, whom I met on this night and realized she is so totally part of my tribe), and I said, “I feel like I was just on a magic carpet ride to some fantastic place that I never wanted to leave.” She simply nodded in agreement, having seen them play live many times before, with a sparkle in her eye letting me know that is exactly what I just experienced…magic in its very best form.

After their second set ended, I leaned over to Becca again, quivering a bit this time (if I must admit that to create an accurate picture), and whispered to her, “My God, I feel like I just had really great sex.” And that, my friends, is what music is supposed to do. It is what human connections are supposed to create. It is what we are supposed to notice and appreciate in this great big overwhelming, often scary, often sad, but abundantly rich and wonderful world. Find these places, these things, the people, this music, the words, the sounds, the scenery that make you feel this way. And embrace them for every moment that you can. Because at the end of it all, when we are ready to leave this world, these are the things we will remember. These are the things that make it all worth while.

The band just jamming after the show…

My accommodations at The Triple Creek Lodge

The IngleBean Coffee House

We also enjoyed some food and drinks after the show at The Millheim Hotel.

And now your featured favorites from last week.

Kathrine of Kathrine Eldridge, Wardrobe Stylist shared her post, The Best One-Piece Swimsuit. She is looking quite fabulous in this amazing color blocked one shoulder swimsuit! And these shades of pink are so cheerful and scream summertime!

Kathrine of Kathrine Eldridge, Wardrobe Stylist

Jaymie of Everyday Style by Jaymie Ashcraft shared her post, The Cutest Paperbag Waist Shorts. I have not yet tried this trend, but Jaymie is sure making me want to! How cute is this outfit? And Jaymie is killing it with the statement accessories!

Jaymie of Everyday Style by Jaymie Ashcraft

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
In case you were curious as to my outfit photos for this post, this is what I wore to the show. Why Toto? Well, you have to follow Fireside Collective and get to know them and the connection may become clear. Or maybe it won’t. But like I said, some things don’t need to be explained or understood to be appreciated. Just appreciate how freaking fantastic this tee shirt is!

Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Ups.

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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